The class of 2014 boarded a bus bound for the lower school on Oct. 11 to meet their buddies in grade 3 for the first event in this year’s Eagle Buddies program. Eagle Buddies was started last year as a way to provide a bridge between the lower and upper schools by having students in grade 10 pair up with students in grade 3, beginning a relationship between the two classes that will last until the sophomores graduate and the third graders move on to the middle school.
The third grade students’ anticipation ran high, and they cheered and chanted “Eagle Buddies!” as their 10th graders’ buses approached. Sophomores met their buddies with smiles and soon struck up conversations on the Bucknall blacktop. A short while later, the pairs of students enjoyed lunch and conversation at the picnic area.
“I just like interacting with all the younger kids,” said Sahithya Prakash, grade 10. “It brings out the kid in me.”
“I’ve never had a younger sibling, so I think it’s a really good experience,” said Regina Chen, grade 10.
During their afternoon together, Russell Yang, grade 3, chatted about the Family and Alumni Picnic with his 10th grade buddy Richard Min, and learned that Min has, “been here since sixth grade, and his sister likes Pokemon.”
After lunch, the buddies took to the playground for tetherball, handball, soccer and other fun activities before the sophomores said goodbye for the day.
Hats off to the 61st annual Harker Family & Alumni Picnic! The epic adventure began at 10 a.m. and the last picnic-goers reluctantly departed at 4 p.m.; in between, many strange and interesting hats bobbed between the games, stage, chocolate fountain, dunk tank and silent auction, to mention just a few of the destinations at the event.
Organizers Kelly Espinosa and Lynette Stapleton, on behalf of all Harker, send their thanks to all who attended. “We hope you had a hat-tastic day at the family picnic; we sure did,” Espinosa said. “Thanks to everyone who supported the day through donations, volunteer hours, time away from home, ticket selling, ticket buying, bidding, ring tossing, sandwich eating, etc. This truly is an event that couldn’t happen without the support of our whole community!”
Head of School Chris Nikoloff added his thanks. “The Family & Alumni Picnic is a special day and a cherished tradition at Harker,” he noted. “After 61 years, the picnic still delivers old-fashioned, homemade fun, straight from the heart! A special thanks to the picnic committee, all of our parent volunteers, picnic sponsors, and the Harker staff and faculty who combine their efforts to create a magical day for the children and families. Last but not least, a big Harker thank you goes to our picnic chairs, Kelly Espinosa and Lynette Stapleton, whose creativity, heart and vision take the picnic to new heights every year. Hats off to Harker!
Thu Ka had a very special day as the lucky winner of first prize, $10,000, in the grand prize drawing She was sold her winning ticket by daughter Kendall Ka. “Ticket sales were up this year, so, ‘yeah’ to everyone who sold and bought tickets!” said Espinosa.
Harker’s performers again dazzled attendees with a variety of acts, with the performing arts department’s annual extravaganza opening the show on the Sunbonnet Stage at 11 a.m. That show included the not-to-be-missed repartee between assistant heads Jennifer Gargano and Greg Lawson, this year as hat-friendly Lady Gaga and a policeman.
They gave way to students – members of the middle school show choir Harmonics – who, using the picnic’s hat theme and a box of hats, joked their way into introducing the JV Dance Troupe. Chris Nikoloff, head of school, then took the stage under the mistaken impression the theme was rats, not hats, but was quickly put to rights by the student hosts. It was a tough act to follow, but the vocal efforts of the Grade 6 Choir carried the audience with their energetic and subtle style.
Next up was the ShowStoppers dance troupe performing to “Country Girl.” The Grade 4 Choir then took the stage for a baseball medley, followed by Downbeat, the upper school’s show choir, singing the Fats Waller classic “The Joint is Jumpin’.” The Bucknall Choir followed and were then joined in song by Bel Canto, another upper school choir, doing a pair of south-of-the-border tunes before giving way to the grade 7 High Voltage dancers.
Next up was Harmonics, a grade 7-8 group, singing “One” from “A Chorus Line,” followed by Dance Fusion, grade 4-6 dancers, working hard to the tune “Working for the Weekend,” by Loverboy.
Jazz took the stage following the extravaganza, leading with the upper school Jazz Band playing with their usual energy and style. Next Mr. Horsefeathers, a magician, wowed the credulous in the audience with the incredible, followed by the lower school Jazz Band with a trio of tunes including “St. Thomas” by Sonny Rollins.
Then, for the first time, the lower and middle school jazz bands combined, playing Miles Davis’ “Blues By Five.” The middle school then continued with their set, performing a Duke Ellington transcription of “Big Shoe,” and concluded their concert with the Beatles tune “Day Tripper,” arranged by the students in the band, said Dave Hart, their director.
Laura Lang-Ree, performing arts department chair K-12, summed up the day’s performances. “We had over 300 kids, ensembles from every division in the show. Highlights were the Bucknall, grade 4 and grade 6 choirs and other groups singing and dancing alongside the upper school acts. As guest artists, Chris, Jennifer and Greg really bring the show to the audience. This is one of our most prized events of the year as students from all three divisions bond wonderfully during the all-day rehearsal the Friday previous as we put the show together; and, of course, the big performance Sunday is a thrill for all participating!”
Harker alumni gathered in a shady glade for a barbecue from 12-1 p.m.. Diana Nichols, board chair and lifetime trustee, spoke about several of the new initiatives for alumni with regard to admissions. Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement, and Jeremy Pomer ’91 tended the grill. “We had lots of young families, and many alumni had an opportunity to see each others’ children,” said Christina Yan ’93, director of alumni relations. A number of administrators and faculty stopped by or hung out to see former students and enjoy the ambiance, including Nikoloff, Butch and Jane Keller, upper school head and math teacher, respectively; Cindy Ellis middle school head; Pat Walsh, grade 5 math teacher; Evan Barth, dean of studies; Andrew Irvine, upper school chemistry teacher; Dan Hudkins, director of instructional technology K-12; Eric Nelson, computer science department chair; and many, many more.
About 3 p.m. tables began closing at the silent auctions, with bidders standing by to collect their winnings by the armload, or calendar them, as some of the most popular items, the Bucknall Pajama Party and middle school All-Night Party, drew hordes signing up for those popular events.
There were some stellar silent auction items this year, including a pair of Hawaiian vacations, architectural design services, a stay at the Silverado Country Club and a pair of Dell laptops. Items included an extravaganza of sports tickets and memorabilia and, as in the past, parents could bid on premier seating for a limited number of seats at their child’s promotion or graduation ceremony, or at any of the top-flight plays, concerts and other performances put on by the performing arts department throughout the year.
One of the biggest innovations this year was the addition of gourmet catering trucks. A trio of trucks and one bicycle brought delicious meals from Thai to Cajun to those for whom tasty hamburgers, classic pizza and the other picnic delicacies were not enough. The trucks were stationed hard by the dunk tank, and a new eating area with umbrella-shaded picnic tables was laid out, so entertainment, food and a place to relax were all in one convenient package.
Speaking of the dunk tank, it continued to be a favorite, with those bravely dangling over the water being announced on the public address system so students could come by for a little harmless revenge. Lunchtime dunkee Jared Ramsey, grade 5 social studies teacher, was seen taking the drop at least a couple of times during his half hour, attesting to his popularity around the lower school campus.
Another innovation was the meeting of Eagle Buddies at the picnic. The Eagle Buddies program started last year with grade 3 and 10 students meeting at various events, and this year those buddies are still getting together, while the new tenth and third graders have paired up with their own buddies. These yearlong pals had identifying shirts and all met up at the Eagle Buddies booth staffed by the 2012 and 2013 class deans Jeff Draper and Victor Adler. The pairs were given carnival tickets and went off to some of the game booths together. Some of the pairs ate together and hung out for a while, enjoying the picnic. “Our older buddies were so generous, sometimes buying extra tickets for their little buddies. What great students we have!” said Draper.
Espinosa and Stapleton will soon be hard at work planning next year’s picnic, but the memories from this one will surely last a long, long time!
Reprinted from Harker Quarterly, Fall 2011. By Kelly Espinosa
Get ready for the fun and festivities on Sun., Oct. 9 at Harker’s annual Family & Alumni Picnic. Our “Top Hatters” (parent committee chairs) have a super HAT-TASTIC event planned that’s guaranteed to knock your socks (and hat) off. Put something crazy on your head and join in the fun!
Throw Your Hat in the Ring!
Everyone needs an admission pass to enter the picnic on Sun., Oct. 9, so make sure you’ve got yours. Visit the online registration page before Sept. 30 to grab your pass for the advance purchase price of $8. Admission is also available at the door for $12. All hat lovers 5 to 75 need a pass!
We’re Passing the Hat …
… and selling tickets for our Grand Prize Drawing! Students K-12, faculty and staff are selling “lids” full of picnic drawing tickets to help us raise money for our school. Sellers are earning incentive prizes as they go and on picnic day we’ll pull out the names of five lucky grand prize winners. This year’s prizes include: a giant SIMPLE 3-speed Beach Cruiser, an Xbox with Kinect 250GB, an iPad2 wifi 16GB, a Las Vegas getaway for two and our fabulous first prize of $10,000! Tickets are available on all three campuses and can be turned in until 3:30 on picnic day to be eligible for the grand picnic drawing at 4 p.m. Happy selling … and maybe even winning!
Go Mad Hattery!
Our Silent Auction promises to have you “bidding like mad” on super silly teacher packages, fabulous trips and wacky, wonderful one-of-a-kind items. How about an evening in San Francisco at “Beach Blanket Babylon”? Or a tour on an America’s Cup yacht? Maybe great seats and a personal field visit during an Oakland A’s game or a beautiful diamond necklace? You can eat, play, tour, trek and create with some of your favorite teachers by bidding on a Teacher Package, or sign up for an evening of fun and games, or a laser tag challenge, or a day at the ballpark, or even a good old fashioned sleepover! Make sure to stop by the “Go Mad Hattery” on picnic day to bid, bid, bid on your favorites.
There’s still time to donate to our Silent Auction. We can always use restaurant certificates, tickets to sporting events, one-of-a-kind art or jewelry items, sports memorabilia and more. Visit us online for more details.
HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT … IT’S GOING TO BE FUN!
Put on your panamas, dust off your derby, break out your beanies and get ready for a wacky, whimsical, wonderful day on the Blackford campus. We’ve added some new surprises to the picnic lineup this year; of course, we haven’t forgotten your old favorites either (with a hat-tastic twist). You can be sure it all adds up to one fabulous family day!
The “Sunbonnet Bowl” will be open as you arrive at the picnic and you’ll be delighted to see the lovely flowers and decorations galore in this family gathering area. The spectacular student show is the big attraction at 11 a.m., but the Sunbonnet Stage will be filled with student performances and special guests throughout the day. Drop your raffle tickets, buy your carnival tickets and you’re set for a HAT-RIFFIC day!
At the “Hat Trick Tavern” we’ll be celebrating sports and all the hats that go with them. We’ve added an outdoor patio, and moved the popular wine booth into the MPR for adults only! Add in the specialty beer and wine, the football gameand super sports munchies and this could be your new favorite area at the picnic.
“Flip Your Lidsville” is this year’s whimsical picnic town, located in the Blackford gym. The town’s people are excited to show off their “main street” and all the “businesses” are sprucing up for our arrival. Stroll by Mr. Hood’s Hardware or the Night Cap Café, take a peek into Hattery Barn, Brimco or the CAPital ONE Bank.
Our most popular area, “The Cap-Tipping Carnival,” will be chock full of carnival games, blow-up attractions and hat-themed activities, all designed for maximum fun and prize-winning! So be sure to mark your calendar, purchase your admission passes and plan to come early and stay late so you won’t miss one second of the lid-flipping, cap-tipping picnic fun we have planned!
Hats Off to YOU!
Our generous picnic sponsors, donors and volunteers really make this event possible… and we want to make sure to give a big “thank you!” to all who have stepped up and done their part as we prepare for a “tip-top” event on Oct. 9! This is truly a Harker family day and our entire family has gone above and beyond this year in every way possible!
Don’t Eat Your Hat …Visit a Food Truck!
Have you joined the food truck revolution? Are you tweeting your friends to find the location of the gourmet ice cream truck or those spectacular garlic noodles? If you’ve been hearing about this craze and wondering what the fuss is all about, the Family & Alumni Picnic has you covered. Harker will be featuring five of the Bay Area’s premiere food trucks at this year’s event on Oct. 9, no tweeting required! In addition to our traditional offerings of Round Table Pizza, authentic Indian cuisine, great grilled burgers, sausage and chicken sandwiches, the food trucks will provide a twist to our food choices this year and give hungry picnic-goers an opportunity to participate in this craze that is sweeping the nation. The trucks will be serving up super-sized Vietnamese sandwiches, tasty Hawaiian fried chicken, killer Cajun cuisine and gourmet ice cream desserts like you’ve never seen before. “We are excited about the whole food truck idea,” says picnic coordinator Kelly Espinosa, “and we hope our culinary experiment at this year’s picnic will be a delicious success!”
Brimming with Pride!
When you see an upper school student on picnic day (and you’ll see many of them) you can bet they are having fun and helping with the event in some special way. Most grade 9-12 students come to the picnic to volunteer first and then they hang around and have some fun themselves. As the upper school has grown over the years the students have found new and exciting ways to “serve” at this family-focused event. Upper school students play in the jazz band, perform in the student show, cover the event as reporters and photographers, run game and activity booths with their favorite clubs, help with setup and cleanup and more … it’s awesome! For the past three years the varsity football team has been in charge of the popular football toss game. “It’s a great way for the team to show their Harker pride, give back to the school, and get some exposure in the larger Harker community,” says coach Karriem Stinson. “My guys work hard and it’s nice to see them interacting with younger students and putting into action the values we teach on the field everyday. Plus, they really have a good time!”
New this year, the Eagle Buddies program will be teaming up grade 4 students with their grade 11 buddies at the picnic. This gives the buddy pairs an opportunity to hang out, play games and get to know each other in the safe environment of our most favorite family festival. What could be more fun? We hope those grade 11 kids have their Ping-Pong-tossing, ball-bouncing, train-riding, frog-flipping muscles warmed up, because fourth graders never get tired! We’re so very proud of all the upper school students who have found a way to give back on picnic day. Their contributions add so much to the “family” part of this fun-filled day!
Picnic Posse Heads Out!
In the middle school, students have formed our first ever Picnic Posse! The group is made up of picnic-loving students who want to help promote picnic spirit and enthusiasm throughout the Blackford campus. “Our students have a special relationship to the picnic,” says campus dean Lana Morrison, “because it all happens right here!” The new Picnic Posse gives interested students a chance to be more involved, get a behind-the-scenes look at the event and help our school at the same time. Posse members will be making posters, helping on the curb donation days, creating bulletin boards, making picnic announcements and more as we count down the days to our Hats Off Harker event!
Parents new to The Harker School were invited to the Silver Creek Country Club on Aug. 16 to meet and socialize with each other as well as with school administrators, not to mention enjoy an assortment of snacks and drinks. A fitting welcome for this year’s many new families!
The Harker Speaker Series is proud to announce that astronaut Gregory Errol Chamitoff, Ph.D., will be the first speaker for the 2011-12 season, appearing at 7 p.m. at Nichols Hall on the Saratoga campus on Sept. 26. A Montreal native, Chamitoff attended Blackford High School in San Jose, graduated with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from California Polytechnic State University and has received advanced degrees in multiple engineering disciplines from California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Houston Clear Lake.
His experience with NASA began in 1985, working on several NASA projects during his stint at MIT, including stability analysis for deployment of the Hubble space telescope, upgrades for the space shuttle’s autopilot function and more. In 1995, when he joined the mission operations team at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Chamitoff led the development of software applications, one of which is the 3-D displays of the International Space Station (ISS) and the space shuttle, which are used by mission control.
After being selected as an astronaut candidate in 1998, Chamitoff spent nine days living and working in the Aquarius undersea laboratory located at the Florida Keys in 2002. His first mission in space was in 2008, serving as the flight engineer and science officer aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for six months. In 2011, he was a crew member on the last flight of the Space Shuttle “Endeavour,” as a mission specialist conducting operations with robotic arms, helping to install a pallet of spare equipment and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a particle physics observatory that, as his resume states, could one day lead to breakthroughs on human understanding of the universe. In addition, during one of two spacewalks, he helped complete assembly of the ISS and also performed the final spacewalk of the space shuttle program.
The many honors Chamitoff has won over his career include the NASA distinguished service medal, NASA space flight medals, induction into the California Astronaut Hall of Fame and the Technical Excellence Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Silicon Valley Community Newspapers– Aug. 29, 2011: Kevin Sparrer reports on Harker varsity football’s first season in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s El Camino Division, with a special focus on the role of receiver Daanish Jamal, grade 12.
The Argus, Fremont – July 31, 2011: Rohan Chandra, grade 11, was the subject of a write-up in the Argus, focusing on his community project to distribute earthquake kits to senior citizens in his area. Chandra won a $2,500 grant in late 2010 in the Scholastic BE BIG in Your Community contest.
Ripon Magazine – Summer 2011 (PDF):In the summer 2011 edition of Ripon Magazine, the official magazine of Ripon College, Eric Eguina ’02 is mentioned in a story (see page 4) about asbestos clean-up following the March 2011 earthquake in northern Japan and the subsequent tsunami. Eguina, who lives in Tokyo, had been working “almost non-stop” in the months following the earthquake.
This summer, several Harker students chose to go “back to school” to help out as staff members at the Harker Summer Camp on the lower school campus.
Anna Levine, who will enter grade 10 in the fall, decided to join the staff because she hopes to one day work with children. “For many years now I have wanted to become a teacher,” she said. “Working at Harker is a wonderful opportunity to gain experience and knowledge about being an educator.” Her responsibilities included mapping out the weekly schedule for her group and keeping the campers safe as well as mentally and physical engaged. “And of course, having fun,” she added.
Other students, such as rising junior Katherine Woodruff, returned to Harker Summer Camp for a second or third time. “I really enjoy working with kids, and having enjoyed it last year, I decided to do it again. It’s a great opportunity,” said Woodruff, who spent last summer as a counselor in training (CIT). “I enjoy working with kids and helping them to develop character. Through this, I develop my own character.”
For David Lindars, starting grade 11 in the fall, being on summer staff presents an opportunity to have a positive influence on a young life. “It’s so rewarding to grow close with the campers, teach them something they haven’t learned and make an impact on their life,” said the student, who spent last summer at Harker as a CIT and this summer watched after campers in grades 1-5. “This job puts me in a position where I’m able to learn how to discipline and lead a group of people.”
This story was originally printed in the March 2008 issue of Harker News.
Now in its third year, the Harker Research Symposium showcases student research projects to inspire students and give them a chance to present their hardest work in a scientific environment.
Projects on display will include those of Harker’s three Intel Science Talent Search (ISTS) semifinalists,seniors Frank Wang (“The Effect of Oxygenated Diesel Fuels on Emissions”), Thomas Roxlo (“Potential Clinical Applications of Celastrol”) and Senan Ebrahim (“Characterization and Synthesis of Silk III”).
Last year, presenters included Harker ISTS winners from the class of 2007, Adam Creasman, Carolyn Wang and Arkajit Dey, as well as other students from all three campuses. Other speakers included Harker alumni, students from Lynbrook High School and Monte Vista High School.
Symposium coordinator and science department chair Anita Chetty noted that the symposium is an opportunity for parents and middle schoolers to become familiar with the Harker research program and to find out what the student researchers really do.
In addition, the displays help budding researchers understand how to enter a research competition,what exactly a paper submitted to a competition looks like and what an oral presentation sounds like.
Chetty noted that at the end of the afternoon, workshops will be run on technical writing, internships and research competitions. Workshops can be attended by freshmen, sophomores and juniors and any interested parents. See the Research Web page for details on the workshops.
“The conference is also a way for our alumni doing research at post-secondary institutions to bring that knowledge back to us,” said Chetty. Three Harker alumni will present at this year’s symposium: Ankur Gupta ’06, currently at Carnegie Mellon University, Shilpa Vadodaria ’05, now at Columbia University, and Samantha Levinson ’06, UC Santa Barbara. “Finally, we have brought a very important element of the research process into the symposium in the form of companies that show the connection between research, everyday life, the economy and career opportunities for researchers,” said Chetty. “Everyone in the Harker community is welcome. I think everyone will be amazed at the quality of these presentations and the composure shown by these young researchers!”
Symposium Keynote Speker is Founder of Award-Winning Education Program
Geoff Green is the founder and director of the Canadian-based organization Students on Ice Expeditions (www.studentsonice.com), an award-winning educational program that has taken over 800 students, teachers and scientists from around the world on expeditions to both the Arctic and the Antarctic, according to his biography. The goal of the project is to give the world’s youth a heightened understanding and respect for our planet’s global ecosystem, and the inspiration to protect it. In 2005, Green received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. Congress for his work with youth and the environment. He has lead scores of expeditions to the polar caps for a variety of organizations, including Discovery Channel, World Wildlife Fund, National Audubon and the Smithsonian Institution, and has been a guest speaker at the Royal Geographical Society in London and the Smithsonian Institution.
Harker’s tradition of honoring faculty and staff who have served for five years or multiple increments of five years continued in June at the annual End of Year Party. A total of 28 faculty and staff members received new service pins to mark their first five years, and dozens more had diamonds inserted in their existing service pins to honor their continued dedication.
Those who received new service pins are: Victor Adler, Patricia Andrews, Robert Boyer, Gayle Calkins, Justine Edwards, Jeanette Fernandez, Melinda Gonzales (counselor), Shelby Guarino, Matthew Harley, Louis Hoffman, Sandy Ignacio, Scott Kley Contini, Tamara Kley Contini, Desiree Mitchell, Katie Molin, Susan Moling, Angela Neff, Bettie Nelson, Jaron Olson, Alex Osorio, Pauline Paskali, Jared Ramsey, Elizabeth Saltos, Kate Schafer, Susan Smith, Troy Thiele, Amalia Vasconi and Lauri Vaughan.
Faculty and staff who received diamond inserts for 10 years of service are: Gary Blickenstaff, Karen Carlson, Chrissy Chang, Anita Chetty, Chris Colletti, Peggy Crisler, Henry Cuningham, Ilona Davies, Brigid Miller, Sherry Fong, J Gaston, Denise Hayashi, Gary Hinrich, Marc Hufnagl, Catherine Le, Mark Locascio, Beverley Manning, Lisa Masoni, Lana Morrison, Masako Onakado, Raul Rios and Raji Swaminathan.
Faculty and staff who were honored for 15 years of service are: Darrin Cassidy, Joe Chung, Chris Daren, Marilyn Hansen, Bob Keefer, Brian Larsen, Diana Moss, Kristin Neu, Heather Perrotta, Dan Rohrer, Karriem Stinson, Larry Washington and Patricia White.
Staff who were honored for 20 years of service are: Pam Dickinson, Georgianna Maddams and Stephen Martin.
Mike Bassoni and Carol Sosnowski were honored for 30 years at Harker, and Carol Parris and Pat Walsh were recognized for their 35 years.
With the school year over and campus activity very much reduced, summer has presented an ideal time for several construction projects. In late May and early June, a concrete pad was installed at the north end of Davis Field at the upper school campus, completing the first stage in the construction of new guest bleachers. From June 13 to 17, the new bleachers were assembled and now stand proudly just outside Shah Hall. Also during the week of June 13, new synthetic turf was placed at the north side of the training room.
Extensive work occurred at the upper school’s Manzanita Hall from late May through mid-July, as the upper and lower floors, which once served as dormitories for boarding students and, more recently, for some kitchen staff, were prepared to create new office space for the advancement office and the Office of Communication.
In June, new bricks were laid in the patio area outside Manzanita Hall, resulting in a much neater and more attractive spot for sitting and socializing. New trees were also planted for a more park-like atmosphere.
Earlier in June, a sunshade was installed at the grade 4-5 lunch patio on the south side of the gym at the lower school campus. Once summer school ends, Bucknall’s parking lot will be closed for three days for sealing and re-striping.
Also following the end of summer school, the north side of the upper school driveway will be re-paved. Dates have not yet been decided.