Jeffrey Kwong, grade 11, was named the top cellist in the California American String Teachers Association’s (ASTA) 2010 Solo Competition. Kwong and the other winners for each instrument (violin, viola and guitar) will be featured in a Winner’s Showcase recital on Jan. 30 at California State University, Fullerton, where they will also be awarded with certificates and a cash prize. All winners were recommended to be considered potential finalists for ASTA’s National Solo Competition.
Another student musician, senior guitarist Nikhil Parthasarathy, was recommended as a candidate for national finalist. Finalists will be selected in January, and will travel to Kansas City, Mo., in March to participate in the finals.
Harker wrestlers competed in Cupertino’s Gary Bianchi Memorial Tournament Jan. 8 and came away with two championships. Santosh Swaminathan, grade 12, placed first in the 103 pound class; classmate Chris McCallaCreary defeated a state ranked wrestler from St. Francis to win his championship. Coach Karriem Stinson called McCallaCreary’s victory “the biggest win in the program’s history.” Read more about Harker winter sports!
Cantilena appeared at the Women’s Choral Exchange at Saratoga High School on Nov. 8, where the group performed a number of songs from its own repertoire, as well as two songs from Ralph Vaughan Williams’ opera “In Windsor Forest” with all of the groups at the event.
Songs sung by Cantilena included the Iroquois soundscape “Watane,” which incorporated percussion and atmospheric sound effects, and “Las Amarillas,” a traditional Mexican song performed entirely in Spanish.
Attendees were very impressed with Cantilena’s performance, particularly “Watane” for its bravely experimental nature. Susan Nace, who directs Cantilena, reported hearing many compliments from parents at other schools, including one parent who asked, “How do you get your girls to sound like that?”
Harker upper school students donated 846 pounds of food to the Second Harvest Food Bank last month. The effort, spearheaded by parent Nina Yeats (Robert, grade 10) and avidly supported by sophomore Lori Berenberg, helped feed the hungry in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, where as many as one in four goes to bed undernourished, according to Second Harvest.
Yeats says the idea to sponsor the drive grew out of a family dinner conversation. “Our family was bouncing around ideas — why donations peak during the holidays, what motivates,” she said. “I made a few inquiries, found interest and registered Harker for the Holiday Food Drive.” Working with Second Harvest and librarian Lauri Vaughan, Yeats arranged for 10 barrels to be dropped off on campus shortly after Thanksgiving.
Not satisfied with a low-key collection effort, Berenberg really got things rolling. “When I realized the can drive was beginning at Harker, I could not just stand by,” said Berenberg, who approached her class dean, Jeffrey Draper. She and Draper came up with the idea to turn the collection into an informal competition between classes. “I put the plan into action. I made posters, labeled the barrels, moved them to convenient locations, spoke at school and class meetings, and posted it on the daily bulletin,” she said.
The barrels were available at morning drop-off curbs, in the library, plus Dobbins and Manzanita halls. Every napkin bin in the Edge was also labeled with a reminder to encourage participation. In the end, the barrels were filled and nearly 700 pounds of food were donated to Second Harvest, the single largest nonprofit provider of food to low-income households in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties and the second largest food bank in the country.
In December, upper school students Daniela Lapidous and Shreya Indukuri, both grade 11, were featured in a segment on the Comcast Sports Net Bay Area program “49ers Total Access for Kids,” which is hosted by kids and geared toward young San Francisco 49ers fans.
Lapidous and Indukuri appeared on the show to talk about the green initiatives they were instrumental in enacting after receiving a grant from the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) in 2009. The green projects featured included the organic garden and the smart meters that were installed at the Saratoga campus to monitor energy usage. The show also briefly touched on the green roof at Nichols Hall.
The entire episode can be viewed at the 49ers Total Access for Kids website. The segment featuring the girls begins 11 minutes into the program.
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!
The Harker Research Symposium, providing a forum for Harker students to foster their passion for science since 2006, promises to offer more excitement for science enthusiasts in 2011. The symposium, to be held April 23, 8- a.m. -4 p.m. in Nichols Hall, is titled “A Call to Innovation,” and is a salute to the computer science and technology industries. Scott McNealy, founder of Sun Microsystems and a Harker parent, will be the afternoon keynote speaker, with a morning keynote to be announced pending finalization.
“We’re trying to do a two-fold approach this year with our exhibitors,” said Anita Chetty, science department chair. “We want to salute the historical development of Silicon Valley.” The symposium will also take a look toward the future and showcase ideas in development that have yet to reach consumers. Chetty also hopes the symposium will stand as a tribute to Harker’s own contributions to the industry, as many of its graduates and parents have had successful careers in technological fields.
To this end, Chetty has been working with a committee of parents to help gather exhibitors. The exhibitors, she says, will offer interactive displays for visitors to enjoy, in addition to the keynote speakers and student presentations that have become staple aspects of the symposium. Parents interested in helping to bring exhibitors to the research symposium are encouraged to contact Chetty by e-mailing anitac@harker.org.
As always, students in grades 6-12 will play a key role in the symposium, with student poster displays and paper presentations remaining central to its purpose. Submission deadline is Jan. 28. The student organization WiSTEM (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) will again have a large hand in planning and running the event.
On Oct. 6, the Class of 2013 took a short field trip to the lower school campus and was welcomed with cheers and applause by the Class of 2021. It was an exciting day to celebrate in the Harker community as the students joined together for an afternoon of scavenger hunts, three-legged races and snacks.
The sophomores’ visit to the lower school marked the official kickoff of the Eagle Buddies program, an initiative aiming to bridge the campus divide by pairing tenth graders with third graders. Inspired by his own children’s experience with similar buddy programs, Butch Keller, upper school head, suggested starting Eagle Buddies, which strives to foster an ongoing relationship that will continue until the Class of 2013 graduates and the lower school students matriculate into the middle school.
Each third grader has been paired with one or two big buddies, and prior to the October kickoff the sophomores spent time writing introductions to their new buddies and talking about the exciting events to come. Crayons and markers in hand, the older students spent one advisory period creating handwritten cards about their interests. Some invited their little buddies to come watch their upcoming performances. Others talked about what they did during the summer and asked their little buddies to share stories as well. “I’m very excited to meet you. I remember when I was in third grade,” Apricot Tang wrote to her counterpart Annie Ma. “I had a buddy. It was lots of fun. I know we’ll have fun as well.”
“The goals for the program are to foster a K-12 sense of community and to promote responsibility, relationships and communication,” said Carol Zink, history teacher and one of the Eagle Buddies coordinators. Both students and faculty alike are looking forward to forging friendships.
“I am most looking forward to watching the students interact during the various activities we have planned for them at each campus,” Joe Connolly, lower school dean of students, said. “I am also looking forward to watching the relationships develop and seeing the positive benefits each student, young and old, will receive.”
Sarah Leonard, primary division head, was impressed by how quickly the new relationships unfolded during that October morning. “For most, it was instantaneous,” she said. “The buddies clicked, and new friendships were born.” Jeffrey Draper, sophomore class dean, thought it was great to see the care and attention taken by sophomores while working with their little buddies that day.
For Cecilia Lang-Ree, Eagle Buddies offers a chance to meet lower school students outside of her grade 4 sister’s circle of friends. Paired up with Fiona Wiesner, Lang-Ree looks forward to helping her through the rest of her years at the lower school. “I remember being a little kid in the lower grades, and influences from the ‘big kids at Saratoga’ were huge,” Lang-Ree said. “I’m excited and honored to be able to be a friend to one of these awesome kids.”
Eagle Buddies events will continue to happen throughout the year. A special tailgate party was organized before the Homecoming game, allowing the buddies’ parents to meet one another and providing a chance for the buddies to watch a portion of the game against Valley Christian-Dublin.
For Liam Bakar, hanging out with his Big Buddy Robert Deng meant watching Deng, a junior varsity football player, play on the field; they were able to say hello after the game finished. “He’s very nice,” Bakar said of Deng, “and I like a lot of things that he likes.”
In a series of notes, Deng told Bakar his interests in candy and video games and asked Bakar how Halloween went. In response, Bakar wrote him a Thanksgiving card answering questions and sharing more about his own interests.
“When I first heard about the program, I really liked it,” Bakar’s mother, Carla Hindie, said. “Liam is my oldest, and he doesn’t have an older brother. I thought it was great to match him up with somebody who would be able to explain to him stuff that kids might not like talking to their parents about.”
Hindie hopes to organize more opportunities for the two grades to get together. “I’m very happy,” Hindie said. “It’s an amazing idea. All the parents understand that it’s a pilot, so I’m sure that every year there will be more and more great things added to the program.”
In January, buddies will be participating in the lower school’s annual Pajama Day fundraiser, and little buddies will visit the upper school campus in the spring for the spring spirit rally. In between, sophomores will maintain correspondence through letters and invite their buddies to performances and sports events.
“We are a K through 12 school, and watching the interaction that day at Bucknall, all our hopes for the program came true,” Keller said. “We saw hundreds and hundreds of pictures – students throwing sponges, having a good time. When [the kickoff] was over and the upper school kids were on the bus coming back, it was incredible having the kids say, ‘Thanks. This was fun. Thanks for doing this.’”
The only complaint about the new program is that it is limited to third graders and sophomores. Students from other grade levels wish to participate and get involved. “So that’s the good negative comment,” Keller said. “Other people see it, and they want to be involved in it.”
Keller, Zink and Connolly do intend to expand the program. As the 2011-12 school year begins, the Class of 2014 will be paired with buddies from the class of 2022. With the exception of freshmen, who are still adjusting to the upper school, Keller hopes that three classes of buddies will be involved in the program at one time.
“It is my hope that this is the beginning of a long, time-honored tradition,” Leonard said. “The benefits to young and old alike in encouraging communication, promoting responsibility and building and managing relationships cannot be overestimated.”
This story first appeared in the Winter edition of the Harker Quarterly.
This September upper school art instructor Pilar Aguero-Esparza participated in Zer01’s biennial project, “Out of the Garage.” This project offers artists from all over the country a chance to display their art for the public as it is in the process of being made. The display, which took place in the South Hall of the San Jose Convention Center, was part of a series of events occurring throughout the middle of September to highlight the completed residency projects.
For her residency, Aguero- Esparza collaborated with fellow artist Dio Mendoza, a professor at California State Monterey, to learn “the entire process of designing and fabricating the traditional Mexican sandal – el huarache.” While their project was on display at the convention center, upper school students taking AP Studio Art took a field trip to view all the art exhibits. For the “Out of the Garage” exhibition Aguero-Esparza and Mendoza presented their new line of footwear at a fashion show at Works Gallery in San Jose.
In October, Jacqueline Wang, grade 10, was named a regional finalist for this year’s Siemens Competition. Harker regional semifinalists were Roshni Bhatnagar, Rohan Mahajan, Nikhil Parthasarathy and Supraja Swamy, all grade 12.
Each Harker student entering the competition worked with a mentor to do research for their projects. Parthasarathy, for instance, worked with Dr. Sandra Faber, mother of Holly Faber MS ’89, and Wang collaborated with a mentor from Stanford University.
More than 2,000 students from 36 states participated in this year’s Siemens Competition. Of those, 312 became regional semifinalists, and were regional finalists. The mentorships were set up through Harker’s internship program, which is coordinated by Anita Chetty, science department chair. “The entire science department shares in this great achievement,” Chetty said.