The Harker School is a member of Common Ground, a coalition of Bay Area schools working together to provide parent education to their communities. The coalition provides opportunities for parents to learn from experts in the fields of education and parenting, to share ideas with other parents, and to support each other’s efforts to enrich our school communities. Shawn Achor spoke to Common Ground audiences in November at three Bay Area schools, Hillbrook, Nueva School and School of the Sacred Heart-Atherton. This report was provided courtesy of the Common Ground Speaker Series.
Shawn Achor, a leading expert on human potential, spoke at three standing-room-only events for the Common Ground Speaker Series in November 2010. Achor, author of “The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work,” spent more than a decade at Harvard University where he won numerous distinguished teaching awards. He first captured international acclaim for helping design and teach Harvard’s legendary psychology course on the science of happiness. Achor now directs Good Think, Inc., a consulting firm that utilizes the latest research to help organizations capitalize on “the happiness advantage.” More information about Achor may be found at www.shawnachor.com.
On rethinking happiness and success: Most of us were taught a broken formula as children. We were told that if we worked hard enough and willingly postponed happiness, then one day our sacrifices would pay off and we would be successful enough to finally experience happiness. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology and neuroscience indicate that this formula is actually backward – happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative and productive.
On America’s unhappiness epidemic: In today’s hard-driving and materialistic culture, too many Americans operate on the “if only” principle of happiness that continually recalibrates our standards of success. We believe we will be happy if only we manage to get good grades, then if only we get into a good school, then if only we land a good job or make more money or marry well. Working as a freshman proctor at Harvard, Achor noticed that many students (and their parents) assumed that getting into an elite school would guarantee happiness. Yet, within weeks the glow of acceptance waned and many freshmen became dissatisfied. They isolated themselves from their peers and loved ones in the pursuit of even higher achievement. A campus survey found that four out of five Harvard students experienced at least one period of debilitating depression as an undergraduate, a pattern consistent on many other competitive college campuses.
On the power of positive psychology: Working with his mentor, Dr. Ben Tal Sharar, Achor helped create Harvard’s first course in positive psychology in 2006. Almost 1,000 students showed up on the first day and the class quickly became the school’s most popular course. “We began to realize that these students were there because they were hungry. They were starving to be happier, not some time in the future, but in the present. And they were there because despite all the advantages they enjoyed, they still felt unfulfilled ….” Achor conducted an empirical study of 1,600 Harvard undergraduates, concentrating on the “positive outliers,” individuals who scored above the curve in terms of performance, achievement, productivity, energy or resilience. His findings led him to formulate a practical guide to achieve what he calls the “happiness advantage.”
On “The Happiness Advantage”: Recent breakthroughs in neuroscience prove that “positive” brains have a biological advantage over brains that are neutral or negative. Furthermore, we can train ourselves to become happier and more productive by repeating positive behaviors that affect the brain’s neuroplasticity. Research indicates that it takes a minimum of 21 days of consistent practice for a behavior to become ingrained. Achor recommends the following exercises to dramatically change our cognitive function:
* Make gratitude a life habit: Each day jot down three specific things that you are grateful for and fully explain why each is important to you.
* Keep a gratitude journal: Concentrate on meaningful experiences and write down as many positive details as you can remember. Research has proven that keeping a journal for six weeks can create new positive neural tracts, decrease stress and even reduce the need for medication.
* Exercise: It improves motivation, reduces stress and increases feelings of mastery and engagement. Exercise has been proven to increase one’s IQ for two hours after the activity ends.
* Meditate: In a hectic world of multitasking and information overload, meditation trains our brain to do one thing at a time. Even a few simple moments of daily focus can have enormous benefits, such as taking your hands off the computer keyboard for two minutes each day and breathing deeply.
* Perform conscious acts of kindness: Altruism has been proven to decrease stress and significantly enhance mental health. Achor makes it a practice to start his day by praising someone in a short e-mail. He says community service projects help families develop greater happiness and achieve more success. On happier students: According to Achor’s research, the happiest and most successful college students feel grateful for their opportunities and therefore are more open to growth. Those who focus on negatives (e.g., homework, deadlines) perform less well and often develop health issues. To be happy and successful, he says, young people need to believe that their actions matter. They need a strong support network and a mindset that views stress as an exciting challenge, not a threat. Research has shown that 90 percent of long term human happiness is related to how we choose to interpret our experiences.
Therefore, optimism is an essential life skill to teach our children. On happier parenting: The small positive changes we make in our lives ripple out to others. When parents consciously choose to be positive, they empower their families to greater success. Studies have consistently shown that “our belief in another person’s potential brings that potential to life. The expectations that we have of our children, our spouse, whether or not it is voiced, can make that expectation a reality.”
On Dec. 22, Katherine Zhu, grade 5, placed third in the girls’ 10-year-old division at the U.S. Kids Golf Tournament in Maui, Hawaii. She shot 80-85-78, for a total of 243 shots.
Nikash Shankar, grade 8, proved his skating prowess in Fresno at the 2010 Southwest Pacific Regional Skating Competition held from June 22-29. Shankar won first place in freestyle skating, first and third place in two of the figure skating events, and third place in the dance event. Based on his exemplary performance, he will advance to compete with other skaters from Western states in the regional competition in 2011. Meanwhile, Shankar is training to participate in state events to qualify for the National Figure Skating Championship.
Budding comedian and Harker senior Julian Wise debuted at the Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Club in Sunnyvale this summer. He provided the opening act to physicist Norm Goldblatt’s “Science Laughs” and The Tonight Show’s Don McMillan. During the summer, Wise competed in San Jose ComedySportz’s “Left Coast Tournament,” and traveled to the ComedySportz in Los Angeles, where he won the “Comeback Kid” award.
Jerrica Liao, grade 5, is quickly becoming fantastic with a foil. In an Oct. 23 San Francisco Regional Youth Circuit competition, Liao won first place in the girls foil Y12 division, and placed third in Y10 girls foil. Two weeks later, Liao travelled to Phoenix, Ariz., to compete in the Bernie Stein Memorial: Super Youth Circuit (SYC) competition, where she placed second in girls foil in the Y10 division and eighth in Y12. Since SYC is a National Point event, Liao is now ranked fifth in the U.S. in Y10 girls foil and 32nd in the U.S. in Y12 girls foil. Liao has been a member of the California Fencing Academy for three years, and is currently a member of its national team. To watch the quick-handed Harker student in action, click here.
Vikram Vasan, grade 7, made a strong showing at the second annual Golden State Open Chess Tournament in Concord, Calif., over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend Jan. 14-17. Vasan (rating 1525) finished second out of players from California, Washington and Utah in the under 1,600 section, which included competition against adults. For his victory, Vasan claimed a monetary award of $750.
Longtime fencer Isaac Madan, grade 12, has qualified to fence in the World Cup in Madrid, Spain, in February and the Senior Grand Prix in Venice, Italy, in March. “These tournaments play a role in Olympic qualification,” said Madan, who fences for India’s senior and junior national teams. “I’ll be attending the Senior Grand Prix for sure; I’m still deciding on the World Cup. The qualification path is based on Indian national standing, which is basically tabulated by performance in various international competitions,” he said. Madan and another long-time Harker fencer, senior Ambrish Amaranathan, plan to represent Harker at the All-State Foil Championship in April, held annually in San Francisco.
This story was originally published in the Spring 2010 Harker Quarterly
On Jan. 13, Intel announced four Harker seniors had made it to the semifinals of the Intel Science Talent Search: Namrata Anand, Vishesh Jain, Kevin Zhang and Andrew Zhou. These four became the latest in a long line of Harker students, 17 since 2006, to reach the upper ranks of the competition.
Two weeks later, Anand was named a national finalist, the second since Harker began participating in the contest four years earlier. The first, Yi Sun ‘06, went on to place second in the national competition. For her efforts, Anand was awarded $7,500 and earned the trip to Washington, D.C., to compete among the nation’s top 40 contestants for a $100,000 grand prize. Intel is just part of the equation, though.
Just months earlier, Alex Han, Gr. 12, was announced as a regional finalist in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology. Since Christopher Sutardja ’06 was named a regional semifinalist in his senior year, Harker has produced regional semifinalists every year in the Siemens competition, which annually receives thousands of entries. Both Han and Anand will display their projects at the Harker Research Symposium in April.
“It’s hard to really describe the number of hours that students invest in these research projects,” said Katherine Schafer, upper school biology teacher and head of the research program. “The students work full time throughout most of the summer conducting the actual research.” She noted that some students continue their research into the school year. Rising seniors entering the Siemens competition usually spend the first two weeks preparing for the entry deadline at the beginning of October.
“The papers are 18 pages in length and require extensive library research on their specific fields and often countless hours of analysis,” Schafer added. “Many of my experiments involved treating cells and observing them over a time course, so I spent a great deal of time in the culture room and worked about 50 to 60 hours per week over a 10-week period,” Han estimated.
Because of the work research students perform day to day for their classes, these tasks may actually be less daunting to them than for other high school students. “I think the research these students are doing and the skills they are developing by communicating the results of their research gives these students a big advantage over most students entering college,” Schafer said. “They have an idea of how much work is involved in research and can do things that many students entering graduate school cannot do.”
Harker’s success in these and other competitions is also due in no small part to the mentors with whom the students work while researching for and assembling their projects. Since Sutardja first enlisted the help of Gerald Fuller, a professor from Stanford University, mentors have played a crucial part in the success of projects produced by Harker students. Fuller mentors students to this day.
While working on his project for the Siemens competition, Han was mentored by Dr. Jonathan Hardy at Stanford University. “I was very thankful that he gave me the freedom to design and pursue my project independently from those ongoing in the lab, because I gained a consummate understanding and mastery of the research process while also having the opportunity to make a personal contribution to medical research,” Han said.
Raja Guhathakurta, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California at Santa Cruz, headed up the mentoring effort for three of Harker’s most recent Intel semifinalists. He and three graduate students helped the Harker students gather data for projects that covered the Andromeda galaxy. In the last decade, Guhathakurta has served as a research mentor “to scores of high school students,” he said.
Guhathakurta became involved with Harker after meeting science department chair Anita Chetty early last year. “It was a pleasure to work with such bright and motivated students,” he said. “We would frequently sit down to brainstorm ideas for solving specific problems and that was always fun.”
The biggest benefit Guhathakurta thought students gained from the experience was the ability to approach abstract problems. “In research, the act of looking for the answer to a particular question can often lead to more questions instead of a definite answer,” he said. “This can lead to great progress in thinking and knowledge,” he said. “Part of this experience is imbibing the culture and sociology of a particular area of science, in this case astronomy.”
Chetty said it is also important for students to witness the day-to-day life of a scientist, which can provide invaluable insight into their choice of a possible career. “Sometimes research is not very glamorous,” she quipped. “It’s many, many hours. It’s very repetitive. It can be frustrating. You can find out on Friday that you made a mistake on the previous Tuesday, and that’s why your results all failed.”
The thrill of discovery, however, is what makes the hard work all worth it. “I think that’s the beauty of the mentor-student relationship,” Chetty said. “It’s the long-term commitment, the enthusiasm, the excitement of discovering something together.”
Mentors are not necessarily people from outside the school. Sushant Sundaresh ’08, who was a Siemens regional semifinalist as a senior, worked with upper school biology teacher Matthew Harley, who according to Chetty spent “hundreds of hours” with Sundaresh to help compile data for his project.
Science department teachers also coach students on how to compile the results of their research and communicate them in papers and oral presentations. There are, of course, many research projects produced by students each year that are worthy of recognition, whether or not they earned placement in contests. The Harker Research Symposium, which takes place this year on April 10, has and will continue to provide a forum for many of these projects to receive well-deserved attention (see page 17 for symposium details).
Since its inception in 2006, the symposium, the brainchild of Chetty, has been modeled after the environment of an authentic research conference, and is open to students in Gr. 6-12. For many students, the symposium is an opportunity to share the results of their labor with fellow students and their peers outside of school. The symposium has also gained recognition and prestige for the guest speakers it has attracted over the years.
This year’s symposium, which pays tribute to the medical devices industry, will feature materials scientist Chris Gilbert as a keynote speaker. Gilbert has been involved with taking a product from development to approval by the Food and Drug administration, and eventually to manufacturing and sales.
“He was involved in all of the parts of the process involved beyond the research part, beyond the discovery,” Chetty said. Several exhibitors will also be visiting Harker during the symposium, displaying various medical technologies such as an ultrasound machine and an artificial heart valve, among others.
In addition, visitors to the symposium will have a chance to see Harker’s scientific talents shine. “I just think that the caliber of the student presentations continues to improve,” said Chetty. “As we’re reaching down into the middle school, the younger students are learning about research. We’re seeing an escalation in the caliber of the presentations.” For more information on Harker’s science program, visit http://skylark.harker.org/hno/backups and search for “science.”
Over 500 parents, students and alumni attended Harker’s Jan. 8 screening of “The Race to Nowhere,” a documentary film exploring the physical and emotional toll stress causes on a growing number of American teenagers in high-achievement environments.
The film also highlights the ironic fact that this unprecedented level of effort has produced a high percentage of students unprepared for college and the 21st century workplace.
Public screenings of the film are the centerpiece of a national social action campaign, initiated by a Bay Area mother whose own family’s experience inspired her to seek out top experts on education and adolescent stress. The film draws significantly on the work of these experts, including Dr. Denise Clark Pope of the Stanford School of Education, who spoke at the Harker upper school several years ago.
Head of School Christopher Nikoloff introduced the film , which screened in both Nichols Hall and the Saratoga gymnasium, noting that it offers an important opportunity for reflection, and with good timing as it comes during Harker’s yearlong accreditation self-study.
“A lot of the issues in the movie … we have been talking about for a long time with parents and teachers,” he said. “Now that they are in the national spotlight,” he added, “it’s a great time to make sure we’re part of the dialogue and do what we need to do to ensure optimal learning and growth at The Harker School — but not cross the line into a ‘Race to Nowhere.’”
Nikoloff encouraged the audience to join him and the many other Harker faculty, administrators and counselors available afterward for further discussion. The Nichols Hall atrium later buzzed for over an hour with dozens of spirited conversations.
Padmaja Indukuri was pleased that seeing the film with her daughter, Laya (grade 8), seemed to open the lines of communication between them. Referencing the difficulty many parents encounter in starting a conversation, she said, “I was asking questions but I didn’t know how she was feeling. She is telling me now, so I understand.”
The discussion is only beginning. Harker parents as well as students in the middle and upper schools can attend special discussions on campus in the next few weeks. Those who missed the Harker screening and would like to see the film can visit the RTN website to find a screening in their area.
Santaclarabroncos.com, Jan. 6 – Tanya Schmidt ’07 is the subject of a front-page feature story on the Santa Clara Broncos’ website. The article discusses her outstanding performance both as a star volleyball player and as a student; Schmidt currently holds a 3.96 grade point average.
San Jose Mercury News, Dec. 8, 2010 – Grade 12 student and varsity water polo co-captain Chris Ng is named as an honorable mention in the All-Mercury News teams section.
San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 7, 2010 – Columnist Sal Pizarro mentions Harker’s visit by Lady Catherine Longworth, the former Lord Mayor of Westminster, who invited the Harker upper school orchestra to perform at London’s 2012 New Year’s Day parade.
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal Giving Guide, Nov. 5, 2010 – The magazine places Harker at 11th among the 50 highest-earning nonprofit organizations in Silicon Valley.
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, Nov. 5, 2010 – Nichols Hall is named one of the top 25 LEED-certified spaces in Silicon Valley.
National Latin Exam Newsletter, Fall 2010 – 2010 graduate Margaret Woods, now a freshman at Santa Clara University, is mentioned as a recipient of a 2010 National Latin Exam Scholarship.
SeriousEnergy.com – SeriousEnergy, a company specializing in products and services that reduce energy costs, recently published a case study about Harker on its website. Harker and SeriousEnergy have worked together to achieve many of the school’s energy goals.
Hundreds of lucky Harry Potter fans and their friends and families were treated to an advance screening of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1” on Nov. 18, one day before the film opened to the public. The 558-seat theater at the Century 22 in San Jose was filled to capacity for the screening of the movie, the first in a two-part series based on the novel of the same name, which is the final installment of the “Harry Potter” book franchise.
Harker dancers are dancing in both the San Jose and San Francisco productions of “The Nutcracker” this year. At least eight students, from all three campuses, are participating, and more seem to turn up daily.
Katherine Dow, grade 2, is a mouse in this year’s Ballet San Jose production of the eternal children’s classic. “I have been dancing for four years, since I was three. This is my second year with Ballet San Jose,” and her first appearance in a production, she said. “The most fun thing about being a mouse in the ‘Nutcracker’ is jumping on the soldiers during my dance.”
One grade 3 student, Mimi Campbell, also a mouse, is doing it for the second year in a row. She has been taking ballet for almost six years, and is in her third year at Ballet San Jose School. She said “Dancing onstage for a big audience, fighting with and jumping on the soldiers in the mouse battle!” are the most memorable parts of being in the production.
Classmate Andrew Cheplansky, also grade 3, dances the part of Fritz. He started ballet because his sister, grade 5 student Anastasia, had been attending ballet school and their busy parents needed to consolidate their children’s activities to keep life manageable. “In the beginning Andrew did not like doing ballet,” said his mother, Marina Ovchinnikov, “but with Andrew’s progress and ballet teacher’s encouragement Andrew’s attitude has changed and he enjoys doing ballet now – but not as much as playing soccer or ice hockey.” Andrew’s credits at the Ballet San Jose include “Romeo and Juliet” as the son of a vegetable seller and “Giselle” as a village child.
Though not in this production, Anastasia has been doing ballet for about eight years and had roles in “The Nutcracker” as a mouse; “Coppelia” as the daughter of a flower seller; the title role in “Ugly Duckling”; and “Giselle” as a village child.
Another third grader, Charlotte Brezoczky, joined her sister, Emma, grade 5, in the Ballet San Jose production this year, both as mice. Charlotte has been training since she was three years old and this is her first professional production, “but I also love singing and dancing,” she said. “I was just cast as the King of the Monkeys in ‘The Jungle Book,’ and have been in productions of ‘Annie,’ ‘The Grinch Who Stole Christmas’ and ‘Aladdin.’” For Charlotte, “dancing with the company – that I get to be in a real show dancing with the professional company,” is the most fun!
Sister Emma is a five-time veteran of the Ballet San Jose production, and has been dancing for seven years. “When I was two-and-a-half years old my parents took me to ‘The Nutcracker’ and I told my mom that I wanted to be a mouse!” She has only danced “The Nutcracker” professionally, but “this year, I was very excited to be able to dance with Dance Fusion at Harker,” she said. This year, the entire grade 5 class will attend “The Nutcracker” and “I’m really glad that the fifth grade class gets to see me dance this year! In all the years I’ve been in ‘The Nutcracker,’ this is the first year my classmates have been able to see me.” In addition to that thrill, Emma loves “just being on stage; I feel happy and it is fun. I also have been able to meet some of the professional dancers, like Willie (Anderson) – the Mouse King – and he is a really nice and a really good dancer.”
Charlotte and Emma’s mom, Kelly Lewis Brezoczky, said what she likes is “the girls get the opportunity to be in a professional show working together as a team. ‘Nutcracker’ auditions are in late September and this team of mice rehearse together every Saturday for two months getting ready for this production. They support each other and learn to work together as a unit on stage. It’s about the sum of the parts being greater than the whole, and I think that is a great lesson for the children who participate. The professional dancers are also really great mentors to the kids. They love dancing with them!”
One of Emma’s classmates, Lauren Luspo, will also get the thrill of knowing her classmates have seen the production. She, too, has been dancing since age 3 and is in “The Nutcracker” for the third time. “We started practicing ‘Nutcracker’ Oct. 2 for two hours every Saturday. This is in addition to my three hours of ballet classes per week,” she said. “Rehearsals were hectic last week.”
Luspo doesn’t mind the long hours, though. “I’m passionate about ballet. Like playing the piano, when I am on stage I forget about being shy. Being in ‘Nutcracker’ is so much fun! I also learn discipline and focus. I think it helps me be a better student!
“I also have a ballet family and some of them are already from Harker! I make lots of new friends. Most of all, I get to rehearse with the lead characters like Maria and the Mouse King! I enjoy ‘Nutcracker’ – I just wished all the Harker students were all together in the same cast! I look forward to doing it every year!”
Helena Dworak, grade 7, will perform with the San Francisco Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” for her second year in a row, playing a member of the cavalry. Dworak trained for six years with the San Jose Ballet and was in their production of “The Nutcracker” for four years. One year, she traveled to China with the San Jose Ballet to dance in “The Firebird.”
One thing she particularly enjoys about ballet is the thrill of seeing world-class performers onstage. “Watching world-famous dancers perform on the stage from backstage or the wings is an amazing experience,” she said. “It provides a different perspective from a private angle.”
As much as Dworak enjoys ballet, she admits that it requires a lot of hard work. “Ballet may look like a delicate activity, but the training required is physically and emotionally intense,” she said.
Two girls in the upper school are in the production, both as snowflakes. Angela Ma, grade 9, and Sara Howells, grade 11, have been dancing since they were four and three, respectively. At age 14, Ma has been dancing for nine years. “Throughout these years, I participated in many BSJ (Ballet San Jose) productions,” said Ma, which have included parts in “Giselle” and “The Toreador,” both as a village child, and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” where she played a fairy.
“I enjoy the professional experience I gained from these performances,” said Ma. “Ballet has introduced me to many dancers, each with a beautiful personality. I find that I can learn something from everyone, the students and the professional company dancers.
“BSJ has been the birthplace of many of my favorite memories,” Ma said, “from standing for the first time at the incredibly high barres to learning to dance in pointe shoes to performing in a professional production. As I grow up, the barres no longer seem so high and the teachers become a part of my family. This is my first year playing the part of a ‘Snowflake’ in the BSJ company production of “The Nutcracker” and I look forward to it.”
Howells has been at Ballet San Jose school since 1998. She took an 18-month break from ballet to play sports, but, “I missed ballet too much and quickly returned to BSJ school,” she said.
“I was a mouse in ‘The Nutcracker’ twice, and a snowflake last year,” Howell said. “I also understudied the corps de ballet section of ‘Giselle,’ and have performed in various BSJ School end-of-the-year productions.” She also noted that over the past summer she attended the Boston Ballet School Summer Dance Program, “which was a great opportunity to improve and grow as a dancer and to meet other ballet students from all over the country.”
The dedication and hard work each of these dancers has put in is apparent, and the ballet mistress of the BSJ School, Dalia Rawson, sends special thanks to Harker. “I am responsible for rehearsing both the snowflakes and the mice, and I am sincerely grateful to the faculty and administration of The Harker School,” she said, thanking Harker on behalf of BSJ’s artistic staff “for support that has been shown to these students, especially Sarah Howells and Angela Ma who needed to reschedule some finals to accommodate our theater schedule. I am gratified that these talented students can continue to excel artistically at Ballet San Jose while following a rigorous academic schedule, and sincerely appreciate Harker for allowing these students to pursue professional ballet training and performance experience.”
Long hours bring rich rewards, though. For Howells, “the most memorable performance experience I have had was the first time I danced as a snowflake, with the falling fake snow and the scenery and costume, which made that experience the most exhilarating of the many performances I have been in.” The role is one she has long aspired to. “I have always wanted to be a snowflake in “The Nutcracker,” which I have finally achieved!” she said.
With activities beginning weeks prior to the main event, this year’s Homecoming on Nov. 12 was exciting and action-packed. As a close-knit K-12 community, Harker has a Homecoming celebration like no other. Students and faculty on all three campuses participated in spirit activities and competitions the week before the game, ensuring a fever pitch of excitement by game time.
Lower school students had dress-up days, culminating in green-and-white day on the Friday before the game, when the football players and cheerleaders visited the lower school for a huge rally.
Middle school students had costume and spirit competitions to get students excited. An assembly featuring upper school students helped to kick off Homecoming week.
At the upper school, spirit week included the traditional campus decorations, dress-up days and events at the pool. Each class competed to gain points by showing off their spirit, dressing up and helping decorate the campus according to this year’s theme of “imaginary places.” The freshmen chose the Land of Oz; sophomores, Mount Olympus; juniors, Treasure Island; and seniors, Hogwarts, from the “Harry Potter” series.
In preparation for game day, additional bleachers were erected to accommodate the crowd, public address equipment was checked and re-checked, placement for observers and the many participants on and near the field – alumni, cheerleaders, Eaglets, the Harker Jazz Band – was allocated. Students, faculty and staff vacated the parking lot right after classes ended, and tailgaters moved in alongside John and Christine Davis’ (Cole ’10) motor home to set up for the pre-game festivities.
A large and enthusiastic crowd of students, parents, staff and friends enjoyed the junior varsity game despite the 34-26 loss. Tailgate parties and traditional pre-game events, including a performance by the upper school Varsity Dance Troupe, the singing of the Harker anthem and national anthem by all combined choirs, and the upper school’s spirit competition tug-of-war semifinals, warmed up the crowd for the varsity game.
Tailgate parties allowed special groups like alumni, seniors and Eagle Buddies (see page 18) to congregate during the lulls in the on-field action. Joe Connolly, lower school dean of students, was proud of one activity that was new this year. As a part of the new Eagle Buddies program, “The third grade students were invited to a combined tailgate with their tenth grade buddy families,” said Connolly. This event, sure to become tradition, gave the Harker community yet another way to get closer together. Third grader Matthew Jin said his two favorite parts of Homecoming were, “going to the jump house and the slide and seeing my tenth grade buddy.”
Another popular spot was the alumni pavilion set up by Christina Yan, director of alumni relations. The alumni area included snacks as well as reserved bleacher seating. A wide range of alumni, from recent graduates to those who brought families of their own to the game, attended.
Like last year, the BEST staff from Bucknall and Blackford once again oversaw the bounce house and bounce slide on Rosenthal Field, giving the young and the young-at-heart alike some physical activity.
The Harker Jazz Band, directed by Chris Florio, played throughout the evening, using songs like “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath to pump up the crowd. The Varsity Dance Troupe, directed by Laura Rae, were transformed into Mad Hatters from the “Alice in Wonderland” movie during their pregame dance routine while the Eaglets and the junior cheerleaders joined the varsity cheer squad in rousing the fans throughout the game.
The upper school class spirit competitions continued with the pre-game tug-of-war. The seniors defeated the sophomores, and the juniors beat the freshmen, setting the stage for a showdown between the two oldest classes at halftime.
Amid the excitement, bright lights and fun, the Eagle football team prepared to face league opponent Valley Christian-Dublin. The home team came into the game missing several key starters who were sidelined by injuries. Nevertheless, the team hoped to add one more win to their 7-2 season, already a school record.
Game time under the Davis Field lights: Harker won the toss and Valley Christian took the kickoff. On their first play, Valley Christian ran for their first touchdown, adding two more touchdowns before the end of the first quarter. Harker senior Chris McCallaCreary scored, and classmate Greg Cox ran in the two-point conversion to put Harker on the board, but that was the end of Harker’s offensive success. Though the Eagles ended up losing the game, the boys put on a good show and can hold their heads high after their record-breaking season.
Speaking about the whole season, head coach Karriem Stinson said, “I am really proud of what this team has done. They are the tightest group I’ve ever been around, and I’m really proud to have coached them.”
His remarks were echoed by Jason Mendel, grade 12, who said that he “enjoyed the team’s 6-0 start and bonding with his teammates the most.”
Halftime brought the traditional presentation of the Homecoming court: freshmen Andrew Wang and Claudia Tischler; sophomores Rohit Agarwal and Tiphaine Delepine; juniors Jason Kuan and German exchange student Julia Lambertz; and seniors Amanda King, Brianna Tran, Ben Tien and Santosh Swaminathan. Seniors Greg Cox and Anisha Agarwal were crowned king and queen.
Of his time with the court Swaminathan remarked that his favorite experience came before the Homecoming dance. “I really enjoyed our dinner at Left Bank and the banana split at Ben and Jerry’s afterwards. Life is good when you’re a prince.”
In the tug-of-war finals, the juniors squared off against the seniors in what was to be a battle of epic proportions. While the juniors were declared the winners at the time, controversy later arose about the number of students on the juniors’ end of the rope and, at press time, negotiations on how to resolve the winner were continuing!
“Overall, school spirit was amazing!” said Kerry Enzensperger, student activities coordinator. “Classes took it upon themselves to decorate Shah, Dobbins and Main Hall; I would like to thank the class spirit officers for all their hard work!”
Vladimir Sepetov, grade 12, felt the same, saying, “Homecoming was awesome this year … I think there was good school spirit overall. Everyone really brought their A-game.”
Ultimately, Homecoming is about coming together as a community and celebrating the school. While the game may not have turned out as we would have liked (56-8 for Valley Christian), the whole community had a great time together and is surely looking forward to next year!
In the $10,000 grand prize drawing, the winner is … Debbie Hutchings, a parent who has been buying picnic drawing tickets every year since her son Doug, now a senior, started selling tickets at Harker in grade 1. There’s no better way to celebrate our 60th picnic than with a devoted Harker family winning our top prize!
Big thanks to all who bought or sold Grand Drawing tickets for this year’s Peace Love Picnic! We sold over 40,000 tickets with the help of students, parents, teachers and staff.
The Grand Drawing is a long-standing picnic tradition that allows everyone to pitch in and contribute to the fundraising efforts. From kindergarten students to upper school kitchen staff, everyone can get involved in the selling and the spirit and the fun.
In the lower school race, top sellers were: Avi Gulati, grade 3, who sold 1,406 tickets; Emma Gurleroglu, grade 1, with 1,110; Sum Yue Guan, grade 4, with 1,040. These students received their trophies and prize money at school assemblies in early November, and we thank them for their hard work and super ticket-selling skills!
In the middle school race, top sellers were all from grade 7: Shannon Richardson sold 711 tickets; Eesha Chona, 671; and Emma Doherty, 566. By class, the Class of 2016 (grade 7) won with 4,807 tickets sold; the Class of 2017 (grade 6) sold 3,883 and the Class of 2018 (grade 8) sold 1,774. This is the second year the Class of 2016 has earned the class trophy, having won last year as sixth graders, which makes us all wonder about next year: can you say three-peat? Accepting the trophy for the Class of 2016 was Doherty, who was our third-place ticket seller in the middle school. It was a tight race, and Doherty really contributed to the grade 7 cause. Congratulations to all!
We think you are terrific and we really appreciate your support of Harker and the Family & Alumni Picnic.