There was a time when Eesha Chona, a rising senior and founder of an online community for children and teens whose loved ones are battling cancer, felt like she was leading a double life.
Chona’s world changed suddenly when her mother was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer a year and a half ago. That’s when she felt like she was leading two separate lives: one at home, the other at school. At home in Saratoga, she dealt with her mother’s diagnosis, surgery and recovery. At school, she pretended everything was fine.
“Life during the months of trying to accept my new reality was awful,” she said. “But I couldn’t complain as I wasn’t the one with breast cancer. I didn’t realize that when a person is diagnosed with cancer, everyone close to them is diagnosed as well.”
Feeling isolated and alone, she turned to her brother (Harker alumnus Aneesh Chona ’13) for support. Several weeks after their mother’s diagnosis, he encouraged and helped her to follow up on an idea she had to support others in her situation by launching a nonprofit organization called Association of Teens Against Cancer (ATAC).
ATAC now offers an online community for children and teens whose loved ones have been diagnosed with cancer. An interactive educational program on the website (www.atacnow.com) helps users understand the various adult cancers and their treatments. The site also contains a directory of hotlines that teenagers can use during a crisis.
Chona stressed that her brother’s help was and is still vital to ATAC’s success. “I turned to him with my initial idea and together [we] advanced it. He mentored and guided me in marketing an organization and launching it. He also oversees the financials of the company, does the accounting to keep track of donations and important financial metrics, and analyzes the overall efficiency of the organization,” she explained, adding that her brother also runs the ATAC Philadelphia office and networks with local nonprofits interested in partnering with them.
In addition to her work on ATAC, Chona participated in AVON’s 39-mile walk for breast cancer awareness; she was later selected to join its national youth crew to help out with the walk. She also has worked extensively with Bay Area Cancer Connections (BCC), a Palo Alto-based nonprofit organization that provides support for cancer patients and their spouses.
At the request of BCC, she authored an online monthly journal, titled “A Teen’s Journey With Her Mother” (http://www.bcconnections.org/author/eesha/), to help incorporate support for children of cancer patients into their program. This summer, she also started her own therapy class at BCC: “Photo Stories: A Hands-On Family Collage Class.”
“My mother and I always bonded through crafting collages together. After she was diagnosed with cancer, the collages I made on my own supported her through her treatment. I felt that since BCC lacked a class involving children, the best class would be one that brings families together,” she said, noting that she hopes to spread the class to other nonprofits in the Bay Area.
Recently, Chona also started working with Shanti, a nonprofit organization that provides financial and emotional support to San Francisco’s most vulnerable women living with life-threatening illnesses. Chona’s involvement with Shanti helped her realize that not everyone diagnosed with cancer has access the proper treatment or care. That realization prompted her to return to her roots in India, home to some of the poorest populations in the world, where breast cancer has become the leading cancer in the country.
“Over the past two years, I’ve raised money through ATAC and have decided to ‘atac’ 11 specific, untapped villages near my parents’ home city. I’ve raised enough money to sponsor two villages to receive breast screening and prostate exams as well as mammograms … basic health care that these men and women would otherwise never obtain,” she said. When BCC found out about Chona’s work in India, the organization offered to further support her cause by donating prosthetics, wigs, scarves and specialized clothing to any individuals who are found to have cancer and need ongoing invasive treatment.
Chona also has partnered with Roko Cancer, a nonprofit based in London for which she recently became an international grand ambassador. Come spring, her role with Roko Cancer will take her to India for an intensive, hands-on experience working in the villages ATAC sponsors. She will assist with patient exams/screenings, as well as meet with the children of patients.
“Not only are we sponsoring villages for cancer screenings, but will also start providing a channel to support ongoing care with supplies for those individuals who are positively diagnosed, which is something they would not have been able to afford due to their vulnerable circumstances,” she said.
Last summer Chona became a local leader with the American Cancer Society (ACS). As the youth rally and engagement lead for ACS’s Silicon Valley chapter, she was responsible for reaching out to Bay Area high schools and providing them with information about ACS and the benefits of teen involvement. In addition, as the Pink Ambassador for all Bay Area high schools, she visited many schools to educate teens about cancer, screening and prevention, as well as ways in which they could reach out and support cancer patients. She was offered this position again for the upcoming year and is looking forward to continuing to educate and empower more teenagers across the Bay Area.
Recognizing Chona’s overall outreach efforts, the nonprofit organization ZERO Breast Cancer nominated her for its “Honor Thy Healer” award. By using her circumstances as a tool to reach out and help others, Chona said she has increased her knowledge, not just about cancer, but also about starting a nonprofit, marketing it, coding a website and updating features.
I addition to its website, ATAC is also on Facebook and Twitter, and soon will be on the App Store with an iPhone App she created called Send a Ribbon. The app enables children to support their loved ones who have cancer by drawing a personalized cancer ribbon and sending it via email with a caring message.
“Hopefully ATAC will broaden its horizons from five nonprofits and hundreds of users to thousands all across the globe, teaching children to not be scared of reality and helping them understand that they have their own community a few computer keys away, consisting of friends who share and care,” said Chona.
Three Harker teens – rising seniors Natalie Simonian and Allison Wang, and rising junior Andrew Rule – offered a national award committee their opinions on titles nominated for the 2016 Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA) at American Library Association (ALA) conference in San Francisco on June 27. Upper school librarian Lauri Vaughan facilitated the students’ participation through her membership in the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), which sponsored the teen review session. To participate, students were required to read several titles from a list of 59 nominated books and prepare brief oral presentations for the committee.
In addition to the review session, students were invited to an author luncheon where they shared a table with internationally acclaimed Haitian American author Edwidge Danticat, best known for her novels “Breath, Eyes, Memory” and “The Farming of Bones,” as well as her story collection “Krik? Krak!” and memoir “Brother, I’m Dying.” Danticat offered the students galley copies of her forthcoming young adult title “Untwine,” which will be published in October. Students also met Bill Konigsberg, author of “Openly Straight” and the forthcoming “The Porcupine of Truth,” and Marissa Meyer, author of “Cress,” among others.
Simonian, Wang and Rule were given access to the ALA conference exhibit hall, which boasted more than 900 displays featuring authors, books and information technology. Wang, who offered commentary on Pete Hautman’s “Eden West,” Marcus Sedgwick’s “The Ghosts of Heaven” and Courtney Summers’ “All the Rage,” found the review session less intimidating than she expected. “The session was fairly informal, and offering my opinions in front of an audience did not feel significantly different from discussing books with friends,” said Wang who particularly enjoyed the exhibit hall. “Seeing authors whose books I love (Neal Shusterman, for instance) was exciting, and I look forward to reading the free books from the exhibits.”
“The best portion of the conference was easily the author luncheon, partly because of the opportunity to get my books signed and to meet a literary idol of mine,” said Rule, referring to Danticat. “But also because of the conversation session we took part in. To discuss writers with writers has long been a dream of mine, since the best writers are, almost invariably, the best readers. I received recommendations for authors I’m familiar with, like Shirley Jackson and Cormac McCarthy, as well as for authors like Jandy Nelson and Andy Weir, whom I hadn’t previously encountered.”
Simonian found the review session a highlight. “It was wonderful to stand up in front of the committee and audience and give my opinion and recommendation on the books I had read, and also to hear the thoughts of some other teens who had read the same books.” Simonian observed, “I find it really humbling that the committee members are going to take my opinion into consideration when deciding whether to give the book this national award.” Committee members – professional librarians from across the nation – will make their final decisions and announce winners of the 2016 Best Fiction for Young Adults at the ALA Midwinter Conference in January.
Four Harker singers were named to the 2015 National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All-National Honor Mixed Choir. They are Krishna Bheda, rising sophomore; Ashwin Rao, rising junior; and Sahana Narayanan and Gurutam Thockchom, rising seniors. The NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles represent the top performing high school musicians in the United States. Students will perform Oct. 28 at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., as part of the NAfME National In-Service Conference. Congrats to all four!
In late June, a team of Harker rising juniors took second place overall in the 9/10 level at the national TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science) competition in Grapevine, Texas. The team of Kai-Siang Ang, Neymika Jain, Evani Radiya-Dixit, Venkat Sankar, Manan Shah, Arjun Subramaniam, Peter Wu and team captain David Zhu also finished second in the problem solving competition and were among the top 10 teams in the prepared presentation portion of the event. “The team had the best showing yet of any Harker team who has competed in this event,” said Harker math teacher Anthony Silk, who coached the team.
The TEAMS competition begins every year at the state level, in which students answer multiple-choice math and science questions, as well as essay questions related to the year’s chosen topic. The top three teams from each state are then invited to the national competition, which has categories for written problems, prepared presentation and problem solving.
On June 30 Harker golfer Katherine Zhu, a rising sophomore, qualified for the U.S. Golf Association’s Girls’ Junior Championship with a 72! The USGA tournament will be held at the Tulsa Country Club in Oklahoma July 20-25. This week, Zhu is competing in the American Junior Golf Association Bishops Gate Golf Academy Junior Open at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico, where she stands at 15th, though live results have her up to 12th as of noon today. https://www.ajga.org/ajgalive/fjls/index.asp?tn=2015065&sex=F
At the CTE Innovation Fair, Glass shared the accomplishments of Harker’s business and entrepreneurship (B.E.) program and discussed the advantages it gives students in the present and future. “Having Neil and Rajiv there allowed attendees to see firsthand how the students are benefitting from the resources the school is able to provide them in their technology and research endeavors,” Glass said. “Having Mr. Keller attend also showed the great support that our administration has for all that we are doing.”
Glass noted that being surrounded by other teachers and students was a source of inspiration: “Connecting with and hearing from students from all over the country no matter their organization showed that we can come together as one within CTE as a whole to improve education and ensure a stronger future for our country.”
June 30, 2015
Harker graduate Neil Movva, rising sophomore Rajiv Movva, business and entrepreneurship teacher Juston Glass and upper school head Butch Keller are in Washington, D.C., attending an event titled “Celebrating Innovations in Career and Technical Education,” held at the White House. As part of a select group of educators, business leaders and outstanding students, the Harker contingent will meet with administration officials and learn about the latest advancements in career and technical education (CTE).
The event aims to highlight programs developed by educators and students in the CTE field, which prepares students for success by integrating technical and career-based learning into academic programs. At the event’s CTE Innovation Fair, Neil Movva is slated to give a presentation on Project Pathfinder, a piece of wearable technology he has worked on that assists the visually impaired by using ultrasonic sensors to let its users know the proximity of nearby objects. Neil’s brother Rajiv will present his own research, which found that flavonoids found in common fruits and vegetables could provide a remedy for diabetes patients who eat meals rich in carbohydrates.
Meanwhile, Glass will speak about Harker’s B.E. program, discussing key aspects including Harker’s DECA chapter, TEDxHarker and BECon, as well as the ways in which Harker’s B.E. students are contributing to the field of CTE.
This story will be updated as details from the trip emerge. Stay tuned!
In May, five Harker students were honored by the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators’ 26th Annual Student Recognition Program. Held at the Morris Dailey Auditorium at San Jose State University, the awards recognition ceremony was called “Emphasizing Education, Affirming Our Future.”
In total, 336 talented and achieving students in grades 5, 6, 8 and 12 were recognized during the program. The Harker students cited for awards were Kai Due, grade 5, for student athlete; Brooklyn Cicero, grade 5, for fine arts/talent; Wynter Chaverst, grade 8 for academics/improved GPA; Jackson Williams, grade 8, for student athlete; and Christian Williams, grade 12, for academics/improved GPA.
The annual event is dedicated to the pursuit of cultural and educational excellence. It aims to encourage student achievement, affirm pride among African-American students, and recognize the support of family and community in their lives.
Three Harker softball players were selected for All-League softball teams as chosen by each league independently! In the Peninsula/Lake Division, Alisa Wakita (SS/2B/P), rising grade 12, was named to the second team, and Vivian Isenberg ’15 (1B/P/OF) and Kristin LeBlanc (2B/P/SS), rising grade 10, both received honorable mentions. Go Eagles!
Six Harker baseball players were selected for All-League baseball teams as chosen by each league independently! In the Peninsula/Lake Division, Miles DeWitt (infield), rising grade 12, and Nate Kelly (infield), rising grade 10, were both selected for first team; Dominic Cea (catcher), rising grade 10, was selected for the second team; and Keanu Forbes ’15 (OF/INF/P); Matt Kennedy (OF/P), rising grade 10; and Varun Haltore (3B/1B/P), rising grade 10, received honorable mentions. Go Diamond Eagles!
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Middle and Upper School Students Orchestrate Pitch Perfect Concert
By Jared Scott Tesler
The Grade 6 Orchestra and Grades 7-8 Orchestra, conducted by David Hart, and The Harker School Orchestra, conducted by Christopher Florio, joined forces once again for their annual spring concert, held at San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater. Amid a symphony of classical arrangements composed by Brahms, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and others, more easily recognizable numbers included the theme songs from “James Bond” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Senior violinist Helen Wu, who recently earned a spot on the National Youth Orchestra for the second year in a row, performed the Allegro from Samuel Barber’s “Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.”
The event featured numerous members of the Class of 2015, in the final ensemble performance of their Harker performing arts careers: violinists Thyne Boonmark, Eugene Gil (assistant concertmaster), Vivian Jou, Leeza Kuo, Briana Liang, Sahana Rangarajan (co-principal), Sophia Shatas and Helen Wu (concertmaster); violists Lekha Chirala (co-assistant principal), Austin Lai (principal) and Patrick Lin; cellists Matthew Huang (principal), Julia Wang and Madelyn Wang; bassists Jackelyn Shen and Kelly Wang (assistant principal); oboists Jason Jeong (co-principal) and Allison Kiang (assistant principal); clarinetists Harry Xu and Eric Yu (principal second); clarinetist and percussionist Angeline Pan; bassoonists Rahul Balakrishnan (assistant principal) and Kailas Vodrahalli (principal); horn player Vishal Vaidya (principal); and tubist Madhavan Nair (principal). Congratulations on a job well done!
Kindergartners Take Aesop’s ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ to the Stage
By Jared Scott Tesler
This spring, the Bucknall Gym was alive with the sound of music – and laughter. In their stage acting debut, Harker kindergartners from each homeroom unleashed their inner animals during six performances of “A Race to the Finish,” a witty and whimsical mini-musical based on Aesop’s most popular fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare,” proving once and for all that “slow and steady wins the race.” Some multitalented actors also did a bit of dancing!
Along with the slow-moving tortoise and foolishly overconfident hare, the all-animal cast of characters ran the gamut of individual strengths and sizes: bear, beaver, blue jay, bobcat, bunny, cardinal, chipmunk, coyote, deer, duck, elk, fox, mare, moose, mountain lion, owl (portrayed by kindergarten teacher Michelle Anderson), porcupine, raccoon, squirrel, turkey and woodchuck. K-3 music teacher Carena Montany served as director, with stage crew duties carried out by members of technical director Danny Dunn’s grade 5 Technical Theater class.
Harker Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Dance Jamz
By Jared Scott Tesler
Inspired choreography, dazzling costumes, dynamic dance styles and eclectic music took center stage at Dance Jamz 2015, now in its 10th year. The annual middle school dance show, held in mid-March at the Blackford Theater and directed by lower school performing arts lead teacher Gail Palmer, featured 150 boys and girls in grades 6, 7 and 8, who danced their way into the hearts of family, friends and Harker community members.
Set to music from yesterday’s and today’s top talent, including Paula Abdul, Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, Maroon 5, Britney Spears and Stevie Ray Vaughan, 18 action-packed dance routines provided something for everyone, captivating the audience of children, teens, adults and seniors. Capping off the show, the entire cast performed to house and dance-pop group Deee-Lite’s best-known single, “Groove Is in the Heart,” which opens with a fitting lyric: “We’re going to dance and have some fun.” Mission accomplished!
Evening of Jazz Gets Toes Tapping
By Jared Scott Tesler
Middle and upper school jazz musicians specializing in a wide array of brass, percussion, string and woodwind instruments, conducted by David Hart and Christopher Florio, congregated in late March at the Blackford Theater for “An Evening of Jazz.” Rounding out the production staff were production manager Brian Larsen and technical director Paul Vallerga.
The students’ love of all things jazz was heard loud and clear as they paid tribute to many late, great composers, musicians and pianists – Jimmy Forrest (“Night Train”), George Gershwin (“Cuban Overture”), Antônio Carlos Jobim (“Chega de Saudade”/“No More Blues”), Charles Mingus (“Better Get It in Your Soul”), Ástor Piazzolla (“Libertango”), Horace Silver (various) and Fred Sturm (various). A good time was had by all at this year’s toe-tapping, finger-snapping concert, which spotlighted the following graduating seniors: saxophonists Alan Guo, Rishabh Jain and Daniela Lee; trombonists Juhi Gupta, Nikhil Singh and Kevin Zhang; drummer Gillian Wallin; and cellist and vocalist Julia Wang.
Cellists Thrive at Harker
By Jared Scott Tesler
Brava to cellist Angeline Kiang, grade 5, on her first-place finish in this year’s United States International Music Competition! Kiang’s talent, diligence and appreciation of cross-cultural music earned her a cash prize, a trophy, a certificate of recognition and a possible radio show interview.
As a cellist in the lower school orchestra, Kiang has received guidance and support from Louis Hoffman, who oversees the after-school instrumental program. “She has been a wonderful student, inspired her fellow musicians, been an active part of our program and a true example of a student who both loves to play and is willing to put in the hard work and time it takes to achieve excellence on a musical instrument,” Hoffman said. “I’m incredibly honored and blessed to have been one of her teachers.”
The middle school boasts its own star cellist, Rachel Broweleit, grade 7. Broweleit’s interest in orchestral music began to surface at The Harker School at the age of 6. Broweleit joined the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (PACO), an award-winning youth orchestra for regional string musicians of high school age and younger. Now in her second year as co-principal cellist in PACO’s Sinfonia ensemble, she is also part of California Music Preparatory Academy’s chamber music program.
At just 13 years of age, Broweleit already has won several major international competitions, including first place at both the American Fine Arts Festival and the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, and was named the grand-prize winner at this year’s United States Open Music Competition.
Broweleit says her early success is due in large part to her educational experience and the dedicated, caring faculty. “Dr. [David] Hart [middle school orchestra director] has been a great encouragement, providing a really exciting atmosphere and creating opportunities for me and my classmates to explore our interests in music,” she said.
Read full stories on both these talented cellists at news.harker.org. Just search for their last names or use these shortlinks: http://news.harker. org/?p=26002 (Kiang) and https://staging.news.harker.org/?p=25890 (Broweleit).
Musical Adaptation of ‘The Ugly Duckling’ Entertains, Teaches Acceptance
By Jared Scott Tesler
Ugly duckling or majestic swan? Come to find out, beauty – and ugliness – is in the eye of the beholder.
Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen’s literary fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling” recently underwent a book-to-musical makeover at the Blackford Theater. Under the direction of performing arts teacher Monica Colletti, Harker’s seventh and eighth graders presented composer George Stiles and lyricist Anthony Drewe’s “Honk! Jr.,” a musical adaptation of the classic children’s story created for younger audiences.
The plot and musical numbers served as more than just entertainment – they imparted many important life lessons such as self-discovery, tolerance and acceptance. Perfect timing, as our middle school students begin to unlock their full potential and form friendships that will last a lifetime.
Conservatory Class of 2015 Gives Stunning Final Performance at Certificate Program Graduation
By Catherine Snider
For a small group of students in the Class of 2015, Harker’s commencement exercises were their second graduation in as many days. Twenty-nine Harker Conservatory certificate students changed their status from candidates to graduates at the 14th annual Senior Showcase on May 22, held at the beautiful Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater in San Jose.
These artists completed a four-year guided course through the upper school performing arts department – the Conservatory – mentored by teachers in all the disciplines, with particular emphasis in one: vocal music, instrumental music, dance, theater, musical theater or technical theater. Senior Showcase is a culmination of those years of study, with the seniors providing guests in the packed theater with snapshots from their accumulated portfolios.
The evening ended with the formal presentation of their certificates by the performing arts faculty and a final group bow, greeted with a well-deserved standing ovation by the many friends, family members, teachers and administrators who supported them on their journey through the program.
Eclectic Lower School Spring Concert Delights Audiences of All Ages
By Jared Scott Tesler
This year’s lower school spring concert featured a jam-packed program of performances by the Bucknall Choir, Lower School Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, First Year Violin Group, First Year Cello Group, Preparatory String Ensemble, Guitar Group and String Ensemble. Audience members were doubly entertained by grade 5 soloists Samuel Boucher (alto saxophone) and United States International Music Competition first-place winner Angeline Kiang (cello). See page 21 for more on Harker cellists.
Time-honored tunes, ranging from popular nursery rhymes and lullabies to classical pieces by Bach, Liszt, Pachelbel and Sibelius, filled the theater. Even the Grammy Award- and Academy Award-nominated song “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie” was tossed in for good measure. With so many genres of music, the concert offered something for everyone to enjoy!
Classic Fairy Tale Characters Venture ‘Into the Woods’ in Spring Musical
By Zach Jones
A who’s-who of iconic fairy tale characters got much more than they wished for at this year’s Harker Conservatory spring musical, a raucous production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods,” which played at the Blackford Theater April 16-17 and will travel to Scotland in August to play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Noted for its thematic and musical depth, “Into the Woods” intertwines the stories of Cinderella, Jack, Little Red Riding Hood and other popular fairy tale characters who all have wishes they want fulfilled. At the center of the story are a baker and his wife, who wish to have a child but are stymied by a curse put upon the baker’s house by a witch. The through-sung musical, directed by Laura Lang-Ree, featured inspired performances from its cast, who brought out the surprising complexity of characters known mostly for their simple and moralistic stories.
‘Into the Woods’ Honored with Nominations
The Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors results are in and although we didn’t win, the finalists in all categories were awesome and had a great adjudication experience and final performance on stage. “The entire cast really killed it during their performance,” noted show director Laura Lang-Ree. “Rita Moreno, for whom the competition is named, gave out the awards and took pictures with leading actor and actress finalists – including our kids, Jeton [Gutierrez-Bujari ’15] and Madi [Lang-Ree ’15].”
Harker had finalists in the following categories:
Best Show
Outstanding Lead Actor: Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari, grade 12 (Baker)
Outstanding Lead Actress: Madi Lang-Ree, grade 12 (Baker’s Wife)
Outstanding Supporting Actress: Helen Woodruff, grade 11 (Rapunzel)
Kudos were given by organizers for the number of schools that were adjudicated from San Luis Obispo to Marin and they also noted how just being there as a finalist was a victory. “Very fun and a great learning experience,” Lang-Ree added. “Our students got to see a lot performing at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, met tons of people and collaborated like crazy!”
Diversity Takes the Lead at Annual Upper School Chorus Concert
By Jared Scott Tesler
In late April, Harker’s upper school performing arts department presented “In Concert: Pastiche,” featuring the vocal stylings of introductory choir Bel Canto, intermediate chamber ensemble Camerata, women’s chamber ensemble Cantilena, show choir Downbeat and men’s contemporary a cappella ensemble Guys’ Gig. Well-known songs like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen, “Imagine” by John Lennon and “Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)” by Billy Joel wove their way between songs in other languages, including German, Hindi, Latin and Spanish.
Student conductors, a trio of sopranos, a trumpeter, pianists and many members of the Class of 2015 accompanied the vocal groups. It all came together beautifully (the name of the concert, Pastiche, is defined as eclecticism in art) thanks to the vision, hard work, determination and dedication of each and every performer and seasoned directors Laura Lang-Ree, Susan Nace and Jennifer Sandusky.
Lower School’s ‘Dancing at Disneyland’ Delights the Young and Young at Heart
By Jared Scott Tesler
Gail Palmer, lower school performing arts lead teacher, dubbed this year’s lower school dance concert “The Happiest Dance Show on Earth” – and anyone in attendance at “Dancing at Disneyland” would be hard-pressed to disagree! For some audience members, the enchanted evening in late May provided a monumental trip down memory lane; for others, it was every bit as magical as a visit to their all-time favorite theme park.
Under the direction of Palmer, with assistance provided by Kimberly Teodoro and Jessalyn Espiritu, the concert featured 250 students in grades 1-5 dancing around a wonderland of fanciful props, sets and slides. Each performance was cleverly assigned the name of a popular Disneyland attraction, parade, ride, shop or show, with 11 of 29 lively numbers choreographed by Palmer herself, including the opening and closing routines set to the Academy Award-winning song “When You Wish Upon a Star” from the animated musical fantasy film “Pinocchio” and “Happy” by singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams.