In late April, the middle school choir Vivace traveled to Anaheim for the Heritage Music Festival, where it earned third place among the six junior high and high school choral ensembles. Vivace earned high marks from the professors at the festival, who commented on the musicality in their performance. The ensemble also was invited to the 2015 Festival of Gold in San Francisco, an honor reserved only for groups that are rated 90 or higher. To celebrate, the group visited Disneyland the following day. “It was a blast!” said Dave Hart, middle school music teacher and Vivace director.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Neon, stone-washed denim and gallons of hairspray made a temporary comeback during the Harker Conservatory’s spring musical, “The Wedding Singer,” which played at the Blackford Theater in late April.
Mid-‘80s New Jersey was the setting for this lovable romantic comedy, directed by Laura Lang-Ree. Happy-go-lucky wedding singer Robbie (Ian Richardson, grade 12) goes from ecstatic to crestfallen when his longtime girlfriend Linda (Caroline Howells, grade 11) unceremoniously dumps him at the altar with a note. The resulting comedy drew plenty of laughs, as well as “oohs” and “ahhs” for the Katie O’Bryon choreographed musical sequences, not to mention “awws” for its heartfelt emotional center.
Set against the ostentatious backdrop of the 1980s, “The Wedding Singer” employed many nods to the culture of the decade. The musical’s score, fittingly filled with touches of synth pop and new wave, was wonderfully played by The Wedding Singer band, directed by Catherine Snider.
As with every major performing arts production, the student crew proved invaluable.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Neon, stone-washed denim and gallons of hairspray made a temporary comeback during the Harker Conservatory’s spring musical, “The Wedding Singer,” which played at the Blackford Theater in late April.
Mid-‘80s New Jersey was the setting for this lovable romantic comedy, directed by Laura Lang-Ree. Happy-go-lucky wedding singer Robbie (Ian Richardson, grade 12) goes from ecstatic to crestfallen when his longtime girlfriend Linda (Caroline Howells, grade 11) unceremoniously dumps him at the altar with a note. The resulting comedy drew plenty of laughs, as well as “oohs” and “ahhs” for the Katie O’Bryon choreographed musical sequences, not to mention “awws” for its heartfelt emotional center.
Set against the ostentatious backdrop of the 1980s, “The Wedding Singer” employed many nods to the culture of the decade. The musical’s score, fittingly filled with touches of synth pop and new wave, was wonderfully played by The Wedding Singer band, directed by Catherine Snider.
As with every major performing arts production, the student crew proved invaluable.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Neon, stone-washed denim and gallons of hairspray made a temporary comeback during the Harker Conservatory’s spring musical, “The Wedding Singer,” which played at the Blackford Theater in late April.
Mid-‘80s New Jersey was the setting for this lovable romantic comedy, directed by Laura Lang-Ree. Happy-go-lucky wedding singer Robbie (Ian Richardson, grade 12) goes from ecstatic to crestfallen when his longtime girlfriend Linda (Caroline Howells, grade 11) unceremoniously dumps him at the altar with a note. The resulting comedy drew plenty of laughs, as well as “oohs” and “ahhs” for the Katie O’Bryon choreographed musical sequences, not to mention “awws” for its heartfelt emotional center.
Set against the ostentatious backdrop of the 1980s, “The Wedding Singer” employed many nods to the culture of the decade. The musical’s score, fittingly filled with touches of synth pop and new wave, was wonderfully played by The Wedding Singer band, directed by Catherine Snider.
As with every major performing arts production, the student crew proved invaluable.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
“ImmersionVapor,” the latest work from upper school art teacher Joshua Martinez, was featured at Oakland’s Backstock Gallery through June 16. Using photographs as its medium, the exhibition invoked the feelings of being overcome and surrounded, with the obscuring nature of fog being a central element. The exhibit also explored the nature of memory and how original sensory experiences fade with time.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
“ImmersionVapor,” the latest work from upper school art teacher Joshua Martinez, was featured at Oakland’s Backstock Gallery through June 16. Using photographs as its medium, the exhibition invoked the feelings of being overcome and surrounded, with the obscuring nature of fog being a central element. The exhibit also explored the nature of memory and how original sensory experiences fade with time.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
“ImmersionVapor,” the latest work from upper school art teacher Joshua Martinez, was featured at Oakland’s Backstock Gallery through June 16. Using photographs as its medium, the exhibition invoked the feelings of being overcome and surrounded, with the obscuring nature of fog being a central element. The exhibit also explored the nature of memory and how original sensory experiences fade with time.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Bradley Stoll, mathematics department chair, received an Inspirational Teacher Award from MIT in late March. Lorraine Wong ’13 nominated Stoll for the award, saying, “I am immensely grateful that you believed in me in math, and more importantly, in life, and that you are not afraid to share your belief that being a kind human is more important than getting the best grades in a class.”
Stoll expressed gratitude at being nominated and said he was honored by Wong’s sentiments. “Lorraine’s nomination will be a constant reminder to me that I need to see and treat each student as an individual and not compartmentalize them by their grades, that I need to be compassionate, that sometimes I need to be their teacher, [and] sometimes I need to be their friend.”
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Martin Walsh, college counselor, flew to Beijing in May for a global education conference, during which he gave a presentation on the correlation between project-based learning and college admissions. He was invited to present by University of Oregon education professor Yong Zhao. During his presentation, Walsh discussed student involvement in robotics, Harker’s research program, Intel Science Talent Search finalists and semifinalists, the class Student-Directed Showcase, the journalism program and other facets of Harker’s programs that produce wellrounded students.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
In March, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) recognized upper school journalism teacher Ellen Austin with a Gold Key Award for excellence in journalism at the CSPA conference, held at Columbia University in New York City. The Gold Key, which dates back to 1929, is the CSPA’s highest honor. “The joy in watching a developing young journalist find his or her voice and being a part of helping him or her find a stance in the world is an incredible experience,” said Austin upon receiving the award.