Senior Ellie Lang-Ree was recently named a finalist in the Steve Silver Foundation and Beach Blanket Babylon “Scholarship for the Arts” competition. This annual contest for Bay Area high school students awards winners in three categories – acting, dancing and singing – with a $15,000 scholarship to put toward their college education. Lang-Ree, a finalist in the singing category, will perform on June 3 at San Francisco’s Club Fugazi for a panel of judges, which includes Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, actor Will Durst and opera composer Jake Heggie. Congratulations and best of luck!
By Elaine Zhai, Harker DECA Director of Communications
The Harker DECA chapter traveled to Orlando, Fla., in late April to attend the 2019 International Career Development Conference (ICDC), where participants faced competitors from all around the world. ICDC this year consisted of difficult competitions and memorable experiences, and Harker DECA performed exceptionally, with eight teams staging in their event during the preliminary round and six teams advancing as finalists. Three teams placed in the top 10, with one team taking first.
Finalists are as follows:
First Place
Phil Han and Evan Cheng, both grade 11; Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making
Top 10 Finalists
Claire Luo, grade 10, Business Finance Series, and Thomas Rainow, grade 11, Automotive Services Marketing
Naveen Mirapuri, grade 11, Business Services Marketing
Pranav Varmaraja, grade 9, Principles of Business Management and Administration
Upon arrival in Orlando, students had the opportunity to converse with members of DECA Japan during dinner at Maggiano’s Little Italy before returning to the hotel and relaxing after a long day of travel.
“It was really cool to meet with DECA Japan and learn about their perspective on DECA, especially with this being their first year competing at ICDC,” said Luo, Harker DECA vice president of operations and top 10 finalist in the Business Finance Series. “We talked about what we had in common, such as the books and the shows that we liked, and it was unique to be able to interact with them and share our experiences with each other.”
On Saturday, the chapter participated in the DECA 5K run at the West Concourse to raise money and awareness for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Participants had the opportunity to meet and network with other competitors from California. For the rest of the afternoon, some students enjoyed the attractions of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park while others relaxed and prepared for their competitive event. At night, Harker DECA attended the Grand Opening Session, joining over 22,000 other participants from around the world. Featured in this session was key-note speaker Ben Nemtin, producer and star of “The Buried Life” and author of “What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?”
“Just being able to witness 22,000 people in one room moving as a unit or like a colony of ants was awe-inspiring,” said Andrea Thia, grade 9. “Interacting with various countries such as Pakistan and Malaysia, and communicating with young entrepreneurs and industry professionals in the exhibit halls were once-in-a-lifetime experiences I will never forget.”
On Sunday, members attended their event briefing and took their written examinations throughout the morning and into the afternoon. Then students and chaperones were given the rest of the day to relax, prepare for the competitions ahead, and catch up on some homework. To end the day, Harker DECA assembled for a chapter dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.
Monday, students attended their competitive event preliminary competition. Throughout the day, all participants also had access to the exhibit hall booths, which included exhibits from various business colleges and corporations, serving as a great chance for Harker DECA to meet and network with other participants. Visitors received beneficial information about various professional opportunities and merchandise to keep as souvenirs. Additionally, those who were campaigning for a position on the 2019-20 Executive DECA team also set up booths and presentations. Afterward, students and chaperones spent the evening at Universal Studios.
With Tuesday being the last full day of ICDC, students and chaperones convened for the Achievement Awards Session to find out whether they had advanced to the final round of competitions, which would take place later that afternoon. After top participants for presentations, career cluster exams and overall performers were acknowledged and praised, the top 20 teams that would continue competing were announced for each event.
With eight teams recognized on stage and six teams headed to the final round, Harker DECA performed incredibly, supporting these finalists with pride. The rest of the chapter had the afternoon to themselves and had the option to finish some homework or visit the Epcot Theme Park. Later that evening, Harker DECA prepared for the Grand Awards Session and, as the top 10 finalists were called onto the stage, proudly sent three teams. With Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making being the last event that was announced, Harker DECA gathered in support of Han and Cheng, who won first place. Members celebrated with a quick chapter photo before heading off to meet California DECA for the State Dinner, where the top participants were again celebrated and recognized for their accomplishments at ICDC.
“These past three years, I’ve been searching for validation through DECA,” said Han, Harker DECA co-CEO. “Because it was my dream for so long, when it actually happened what I felt was almost indescribable. I was suddenly hit with a flurry of emotions, awe, overwhelming joy and pride. But most importantly was a resonating gratitude for everyone who supported me and of course, my partner, Evan.”
With many new experiences and opportunities, ICDC 2019 was definitely memorable for all of its participants and served as a fantastic way to close the 2018-19 competitive season.
“This year’s ICDC was a fantastic experience for students and chaperones and definitely helped the chapter become closer,” said Kolla, Harker DECA co-CEO. “Many members were able to stage for their event, which was a reflection of the dedication and hard work that they put into DECA from the very first study session all the way up until the final moments before their competition. It was absolutely amazing to see everyone so supportive of each other, and this ICDC served as a competitively shaping experience for the chapter.”
“I was extremely proud of how our students did this year at ICDC and throughout the 2018-19 competitive season,” said Juston Glass, Harker DECA advisor. “It was amazing seeing their growth from the beginning of the year, especially with all the underclassmen that we had. They really worked their hardest and never gave up, putting forth their best effort into their competitive events. I can’t wait to see them continue to develop professionally the next four years to become emerging leaders, and I’m so grateful to be their DECA advisor.”
About The Harker School DECA
Harker DECA is an International Competitive Business Organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.
Contact Information
To learn more about this story, please contact:
Elaine Zhai, Director of Communications
21elainez@students.harker.org
www.harkerdeca.org
Some of Harker’s Honors Entrepreneurship students got in front of some of Silicon Valley’s most important executives when they sat on a panel at the Association for Corporate Growth Silicon Valley (ACGSV) 2019 GROW Awards in mid-April. The organization bills itself as the premier organization for C-suite leaders in Silicon Valley. The GROW awards recognize the outstanding growth company and top emerging growth company in the area.
This year’s awards ceremony celebrated leadership and the role Silicon Valley plays as an international hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. Four young entrepreneurs from Harker formed a roundtable, moderated by ALOM CEO Hannah Kain. The four students were Riya Gupta and Nishka Ayyar, both grade 12, from PromElle, and Andrew Sun, grade 10 and Suraj Pakala, grade 12, from Nanoseed.
A huge congrats to the five Eagle swimmers (Matthew Chung, Jason Kwok and Rhys Edwards, all grade 10, Ethan Hu, grade 11, and Alex Yu, grade 12) who represented Harker at the CCS Championships on Saturday. The boys took home a third place CCS finish as a team thanks to these amazing finishes:
– The 200 medley relay team (Chung, Kwok, Hu, Edwards) finished first, setting a new CCS record.
– Hu took first in the 200 IM and the 100 fly, setting CCS records in both events.
– Kwok took second in the 100 breast and 34th in the 50 free.
– The 200 free relay team (Chung, Kwok, Hu, Edwards) took second.
– Chung finished third in the 200 IM and 500 free.
– Edwards was ninth in the 100 free and 10th in the 50 free.
– Yu took 13th in the 500 free.
The boys will compete at the State Championships beginning this Friday at Clovis West High School.
Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team finished the regular season with a 29-5 record and ranked No. 12 in the nation and No. 2 in CCS after falling to Monta Vista (No. 7 in the nation, No. 1 in CCS) 0-3 and defeating Los Altos 3-0. The Eagles were rewarded with a No. 1 seed in the CCS D3 bracket, and open at Sacred Heart Prep on Tuesday night.
Boys Tennis
The boys tennis team won its opening CCS match with Aptos 7-0, but was knocked out of the playoffs with a 0-7 loss to No. 1 seeded Menlo. However, the doubles team of Ramanand Vegesna and Mihir Sharma, both grade 11, qualified for CCS and opens play against Carmel on May 14.
Lacrosse Last week, the lacrosse team defeated Notre Dame Belmont 18-3 and Priory 17-7 to win its second consecutive WBAL-Skyline Championship. The ladies finished the regular season 14-3 and ranked eighth in CCS. The Eagles host Aragon in the quarterfinals of the WBAL Championships this Tuesday at 5 p.m. on Davis Field.
Track and Field
At the WBAL Track & Field Championships last Friday, Alexa Lowe, grade 9, won the league championship in the triple jump, upsetting four others seeded ahead of her. Gio Rofa, grade 11, placed second in the triple jump and Ayush Vyas, grade 12, placed second in the shot put with a three-foot personal best. All three will be competing in next Saturday’s CCS trials.
Boys Golf
The boys golf team took third place in the WBAL Championships last week. The Eagles play in the CCS regionals on Tuesday at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch.
Baseball
The baseball team went 1-1 last week to bring its season record to 13-8. In a 15-4 win over Crystal Springs Uplands, Zach Hoffman, grade 12, and Levi Sutton, grade 10, each drove in two runs. Later in the week, the Eagles fell to South San Francisco 3-7. This week, the team hosts Thomas More for Senior Night on Monday and finishes off the regular season on Tuesday at Westmoor.
Softball
The softball team went 2-1 last week to improve to 6-12 on the season. The girls started the week with a tough 1-23 loss to Fremont, with Emma Crook, grade 9, driving in the lone run. The Eagles bounced back with a 17-0 win over Mercy SF, with Cameron Zell, grade 12, driving in four runs and Brooklyn Cicero, grade 9, adding three more RBIs. Taylor Lam, grade 12, threw 3 innings of one hit, six strikeout ball before the mercy rule was applied. The Eagles ended the week with a forfeit win over Crystal Springs Uplands. This week, the Eagles finish their season traveling to Mercy Burlingame on Tuesday before Senior Night on Thursday against ND San Jose.
This year’s collection of papers written by John Near and Mitra Family endowment scholars have some fascinating titles. Each year, the scholars are honored at a reception in the Nichols Hall auditorium, celebrating the completion of their intensive research and writing projects.
At the reception, each student talked about the journey to self-knowledge that comes from writing such a complex paper. Each was generous in acknowledging the program’s value to their growth and in praising the mentors who helped them succeed. Each scholar had vivid memories of the road to completing their paper.
2018-19 Near Scholars:
Logan Bhamidipaty, mentored by Byron Stevens and Lauri Vaughan: “Plain Language: Henry George, Denis Kearney, and the Anti-Chinese Movement in Nineteenth-Century California”
Prameela Kottapalli, mentored by Mark Janda and Sue Smith: “Deliberately Unafraid: Audre Lorde as a Pioneer of Intersectional Feminism”
Leon Lu, mentored by Carol Green, Susan Nace and Meredith Cranston: “Soul of the Jazz Resistance: Charles Mingus and the Civil Rights Movement”
Kelsey Wu, mentored by Kelly Horan and Sue Smith: “The Loneliness Disease: Challenges of First-Generation Chinese-American Parents of Autistic Children”
2018-19 Mitra Scholars:
Nikhil Dharmaraj, mentored by Clifford Hull and Meredith Cranston: “The Evolution of Evolution: Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura and Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species”
Ryan Guan, mentored by Ruth Meyer and Meredith Cranston: “The Rattle of the Bones: Reading T. S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’ as a Response to World War I”
Haris Hosseini, mentored by Andrea Milius, Josh Martinez and Sue Smith: “Unveiled: The Appropriation of Afghan Women in the War on Terror”
Katherine Tian, mentored by Damon Halback, Chris Spenner and Lauri Vaughan: “Does God Play Dice? Understanding the Role of Uncertainty at the Intersection of Antirealist Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics”
Harker students performed very well at the Tournament of Champions last weekend. This prestigious speech and debate tournament, hosted by the University of Kentucky, is open to students who have performed well at varsity invitationals, and Harker qualified a number of students.
Junior Avi Gulati won first place in original oratory, an outstanding achievement! Senior Haris Hosseini was third in oratory, and Nikki Solanki, grade 11, was third in program oral interpretation. Senior Alycia Cary was in the semifinals of oratory. Additionally, Nakul Bajaj and David Feng, both grade 11, and Andrew Sun, grade 10, all made it to the semifinals of congressional debate.
Finally, Akshay Manglik, grade 10, and Sachin Shah, grade 11, qualified to compete in Lincoln-Douglas debate. Both junior Prerana Acharyya and Solanki (who qualified in two events!) qualified to compete in dramatic interpretation. It was thrilling for the whole team to see so many Harker Eagles do so well at the tournament!
The boys golf team fell to Valley Christian 227-210 before defeating Menlo 179-184 to become co-league champs, which gives the Eagles six straight league championship titles. Bryan Zhang, grade 10, shot a personal best 1-under-par 34 to earn his first career medalist honors. The Eagles will compete at the WBAL Championships on Wednesday.
Baseball
The Eagles started the week with a 10-8 non-league victory over Del Mar with Zach Hoffman, grade 12, and Max Lee, grade 11, each driving in two runs on two hits. The team then dropped a 2-7 matchup with Jefferson, with Levi Sutton and Nick Coulter, both grade 10, each driving in a run. Finally, the Eagles fell to Independence 4-5. This week, the team hosts Crystal Springs Uplands on Tuesday before traveling to South San Francisco on Thursday.
Boys Tennis
The boys tennis team lost its regular season matchup with Menlo 0-7 last week before starting the WBAL Individual Tournament. The doubles team of Ramanand Vegesna and Mihir Sharma, both grade 11, fell short in the doubles finals and hopes to make the CCS Doubles Championships as an at-large team. CCS begins this Friday.
Lacrosse
The lacrosse team defeated Salinas 16-9 and Carlmont 13-12 last week to improve to an impressive 11-3 on the season. The girls wrap up the regular season this week as they host Notre Dame Belmont on Tuesday before traveling to Woodside Priory on Thursday.
Track and Field
The WBAL Track and Field Championship begin on Tuesday with the finals on Friday.
Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team defeated Los Gatos 3-0 in its sole matchup last week. It’s a big week for the Eagles as they wrap up the regular season by facing off with league rival and top CCS team Monta Vista on Tuesday before Senior Night against Los Altos on Wednesday.
Swim
Harker swimmers competed at the WBAL Championships at Sacred Heart last week with some great results. Matthew Chung, grade 10, Rhys Edwards, grade 10, and Alex Yu, grade 12, went 1-2-7 in the 200 freestyle. Chung broke the 9-year-old WBAL record, smashing the old time by four seconds and qualifying for the state meet. Ihita Mandal, grade 12, made the consolation finals in the 200 free and dropped eight seconds off her time. Nikela Hulton, grade 9, placed sixth in the 200 IM, dropping six seconds from her time and later placed second in the 100 fly, making CCS cuts in both events. Nageena Singh, grade 9, placed seventh, making the finals in the 100 fly. Ethan Hu, grade 11, Chung, and Edwards went 1-2-3 in the 100 fly with Hu breaking his own 2018 WBAL record. Yu took first in the 500 free. Jason Kwok, grade 10, took first in the 100 breast. The CCS Championship trials begin on Friday.
Softball
The softball team lost to Pinewood 1-11 and The King’s Academy 2-18 last week. This week, the Eagles host Fremont on Monday and travel to Mercy SF on Tuesday.
Freshmen David Dai and Rishab Parthasarathy were recently selected to be two of 20 high school students on the 2019 U.S. Physics Team. Each year, the American Association of Physics Teachers selects team members from the top scorers on the USA Physics Exam, who are then invited to a boot camp at the University of Maryland, College Park. Five of these students will then be chosen for the traveling team for the International Physics Olympiad in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Nine Harker students were presented with National Speech & Debate Association Academic All American awards this month. Nikhil Dharmaraj, grade 12; Avi Gulati, grade 11 Anusha Kuppahally, grade 12; Annie Ma, grade 11; Sachin Shah, grade 11; Kelly Shen, grade 12; Nikki Solanki, grade 11; Clarissa Wang, grade 12; and Cindy Wang, grade 12 were honored for their “academic rigor, competitive speech and debate success and personal excellence.”
Fewer than 1,000 students are awarded out of more than 141,000 student members of the National Speech& Debate Association, which puts these ten students in the top one percent of all student members, nationwide.
To earn the award, students must have completed at least five semesters of high school, earned the degree of Superior Distinction in the organization’s Honor Society, achieved a certain level of GPA, and demonstrated outstanding character and leadership. Watch for the full story of this year’s speech and debate team in the summer issue of Harker Magazine. It’s been a great ride!
The Eagle track team recorded 27 season bests in its WBAL meet at Menlo College last week. Anton Novikov, grade 10, won the 100-meter and ran the second leg in the victorious 400 relay. Gio Rofa, grade 11, won the triple jump and anchored the 400 relay to their win. The boys 400 relay moved back into the second-ranked spot in the league, ahead of Sacred Heart Prep. Sara Min, grade 12, was also a double winner in her 100 and 200 runs. In the triple jump, Rofa and Andrew Chen, grade 9, jumped season bests and now rank 1-2 in the league. Brittany Shou, grade 9, set a new freshman Harker record in both the shot put and discus. Alexa Lowe, grade 9, established a new Harker frosh record in both the long jump and the triple jump. Surya Gudapati, grade 12, was a winner in his section in the 400 run. Ayush Vyas, grade 12, threw for second place in the shot put and discus. Natasha Matta, grade 9, came within 0.4 seconds of the Harker record in the 100 hurdles, but set a new freshman school record with her time.
Harker set 14 personal bests in Saturday night’s Soquel Invitational. Zoey Rosa, grade 11, led the team with a win in the 100 hurdles and a second place run in the 300 hurdles, both personal bests. Rofa soared to a new personal record in the triple jump, with a league leading 36’8.5″ jump to win the competition. Chen came in third. Lowe was third in the girls triple jump. Mitchell Granados, grade 12, won his 100 race with a thrilling lean at the finish line with his season best 11.91. Vyas continued his streak of personal bests with his 108’10” discus throw.
The Eagles have the week off before the WBAL Championships next week.
Softball
The softball team dropped both of its games last week, bringing its season record to 4-9. Early in the week, the girls fell to Gunn 10-22 and then dropped a matchup with Palo Alto 6-9. This week, the Eagles travel to Pinewood on Tuesday and host The King’s Academy on Thursday.
Baseball
The baseball team went 2-1 last week to improve to 11-5 on the season. The Eagles started the week with an 8-6 win at Terra Nova with Levi Sutton, grade 10, delivering with two hits and four RBIs. Then the team took care of Westmoor 20-6 with Luke Wancewicz, grade 10, going 3-5 with seven RBIs. Over the weekend, the Eagles fell to Harbor 8-5, but the team is on fire going 8-2 over its last 10 games. This week, it’s a trip to Del Mar on Tuesday, hosting Jefferson on Thursday and at Independence on Friday.
Boys Tennis
The boys tennis team picked up a tough 4-3 win over Pinewood last week to run its record to 10-1. This week, the Eagles face off with league rival Menlo on Monday before beginning the WBAL Individual Tournament on Wednesday.
Lacrosse
The lacrosse team defeated Presentation 10-8 last week before falling to Woodside 5-12. This week the 9-3 Eagles travel to Salinas on Tuesday before hosting Carlmont on Friday.
Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team took care of Saratoga 3-0 last week and is now 27-4 on the year and currently ranked second in CCS and eighth in the nation. This week, the Eagles host Los Gatos on Wednesday.
Swim
Harker swimmers head to Sacred Heart Prep this week for the WBAL Championships.
Boys Golf
After a 14-day break, the boys golf team heads into the last week of the season at the Aptos Tournament on Monday followed by a Wednesday matchup with Valley Christian and Thursday battle with Menlo.