Harker students and alumni had the unique opportunity to see one of their own compete in the summer Olympics in Beijing, as MS alumna Andrea Nott ’96 represented the U.S. in the synchronized swimming event. Nott, whose team finished fifth overall in Beijing, discovered her love for the sport at the age of nine, and has been named a U.S. Synchronized Swimming All-American for seven years — since 1999. She was selected as an alternate for the Athens games in 2004.
Surprisingly, Nott said she didn’t feel much pressure despite making her first Olympic appearance. “We did a lot of mental preparation, including detailed visualizations and simulations,” she said. “So, when we were waiting to go out to perform I actually felt surprisingly calm.” She also said that her main goal was to put on the best performance of her career. “I wanted to peak and amaze people at the Olympics,” said Nott. “I think our team did that.”
Nott is the daughter of Debra Nott, Harker’s director of nursing and, following a decompression period, Andrea resurfaced in October to join her mom, who went to Beijing with her, at the Harker Family Picnic. The swimmer noted one of the most remarkable experiences of the games was watching the opening ceremonies.
“A lot of Olympians had told me beforehand that it was their favorite part of the Olympics, but I couldn’t quite grasp how amazing it would be to see them light the torch until I saw it,” she recalled. But above all, it was the opportunity to participate in the games that made the biggest impression. “I had been looking forward to the Olympics for so long that I really didn’t want to realize after closing ceremonies that I had let it all go by too fast,” said Nott. “I knew beforehand that I would be retiring from synchronized swimming after the games, so when I watched the torch light in opening ceremonies, I knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.”
For those aspiring to reach the stars, Nott says the key ingredient is determination. “Natural talent is a great gift, but it can only take you so far,” she says. “Hard work and tenacity are what will get you there in the end, and the reward will feel even greater.”
Senior class president and graduating senior Senan Ebrahim was named as one of two California Presidential Scholars , joining the ranks of other scholars – one man and one woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, along with at-large, out-of-the-country and Arts scholars- selected for the honor. Ebrahim earned a perfect SAT score, was Bausch & Lomb Top Science Scholar, a semifinalist in the Intel and Siemens competitions, and won top marks on nine AP exams. His interests range from swimming and cross-country to theater, speech and debate, and he serves as a tutor, camp counselor, hospital volunteer and disaster relief fundraiser. All Presidential Scholars are invited to attend a ceremony in their honor in Washington, D.C., in June. Ebrahim chose his Harker history teacher, Ramsay Westgate to accompany him as his most inspiring and challenging teacher.
The Harker School, students and faculty are featured in the recently released film, “Hard Problems” by Zala Films, documenting U. S. students preparing for the 2006 U.S. International Math Olympiad team. Director George Csicsery and crew were on site interviewing and filming the day of the qualifying test in April 2006. Interviews with Harker student Yi Sun ’06, parents, and math teachers Joanne Mason and Misael Fisico were included in the movie. Yi Sun won a silver medal for the U.S. at the International Math Olympiad in Slovenia that year and now attends Harvard University. The movie is screening at conferences and lectures worldwide and is available at amazon.com.
Olympic athlete Andrea Nott ’96 knows a little something about the hard work involved to achieve excellence. “I learned that first, right here at The Harker School,” she said. More than 300 members of the Harker community gathered on Jan. 11 to participate in the opening of Harker’s aquatic center and to honor Nott as keynote speaker and member of the U.S. Olympic synchronized swim team competing in Beijing in August.
Nott, who started swimming at age 9, recalled the support she found at Harker. “I always felt my teachers were concerned about both my sport and my grades,” said Nott, who still treasures the fifth grade essay she wrote about her dream to be an Olympic competitor. “Managing school and sports can be really difficult, but it can provide a nice balance. Also, you have to learn to manage your time and energy, which is a skill that will help you for the rest of your life.”
US Athletic Director Dan Molin echoed Nott’s recognition of the parallel twins of academics and athletics. “What a great statement to build a first-class facility to match first-class academics,” said Molin, who added he most looks forward to the aquatic center’s bringing Harker teams and fans together.
Swim team captain Senan Ebrahim, Gr. 12 said he welcomes regular practices in the new pool in time for his final season at Harker. “We’ll have tighter knit teams,” predicted Ebrahim, who presented Nott with a Harker swim jacket after pouring honorary buckets of water into the pool with two dozen other Harker athletes. “And we’ll make good use of (the pool) during spring spirit activities too!”
“We are working toward a totally updated, state-of-the-art upper school campus for the 21st century,” said Head of School Chris Nikoloff, referring to the recent addition of Davis Field and the construction of the Science & Technology Center on the Saratoga site.
In the meantime, Nott is working toward securing a medal in Beijing. “We think our chances are good!” she said. “The top countries are Russia, Spain and Japan, but we are keeping a close eye on China,” said Nott, daughter of director of nursing, and Harker employee for 19 years, Debra Nott.
The young Olympian took a break from a six-days-a-week, 10 hours-a-day training schedule to sign autographs and take photos with Harker’s littlest Eagles before sending them off to add their bucket of water to the pool. “I love to be in the water first of all, but I also love to choreograph to the music and work together with my teammates to make the best product possible.” That would be the little something about excellence.
Pool Facts
The new swimming pool building houses two 30-horse power water
circulation pumps, two heaters and a sand filtration system. It also
features two large changing rooms with restrooms, storage facilities
and a coach’s office. More facts about the pool:
488,800 gallon capacity, 75′ x 112.5′ dimension
13 swimming lanes, 10 race blocks
electronically interlinked sensors tied to an Omega
The groundbreaking event held May 30 for Harker’s new Science & Technology Center and athletic field and pool was a school wide celebration that included over 500 parents, faculty, staff, students and alumni. After viewing student-created science and technology displays, taking a virtual tour of the coming facilities and bopping to the Harker Jazz Band, the crowd feasted on barbeque and witnessed the official groundbreaking in front of Dobbins Hall. All attendees went away with a mini-beaker keepsake filled with dirt from the groundbreaking to commemorate the occasion. It was an exciting and proud afternoon for the entire Harker community.