Last week, the boys soccer team picked up two more wins to bring its season record to 14-0-3. The Eagles defeated Menlo 2-1, followed by a historic 2-0 win over Eastside College Prep to give the boys soccer program its first league title in school history. The boys look to finish up an undefeated regular season at The King’s Academy on Monday before starting CCS next week.
Girls Soccer
Last week, the girls soccer team tied Notre Dame San Jose 1-1 to bring its season record to 8-7-1. The Eagles sit in third place in the WBAL Skyline division, just a half game out of second place. This week, the girls travel to Castilleja on Monday before hosting Mercy Burlingame on Wednesday for a Valentine’s Senior Day.
Girls Basketball
On Feb. 1, the girls basketball team lost to Castilleja 37-45, with Satchi Thockchom, grade 12, leading the Eagles with 10 points. Then last week, the Eagles defeated Mercy Burlingame 61-43 on Senior Night. Selin Sayiner, grade 12, scored 17 points to lead the offense. The Eagles finish the season on the road as they travel to The King’s Academy on Tuesday and Crystal Springs Uplands on Thursday.
Boys Basketball
The boys basketball team dropped two league games last week. In a 40-65 loss to Menlo, Richard Wang, grade 11, and Jarrett Anderson, grade 11, each had 10 points to lead the Eagles. Later in the week, the boys fell to The King’s Academy 56-67 with Anderson dropping 16 points and Jack Connors, grade 10, adding 15 points. The Eagles finish their season this week as they travel to Pinewood on Tuesday before hosting Sacred Heart Prep for Senior Night on Friday.
Kevin Moss ’14, who will graduate from Trinity University this spring, was awarded the Walter Adams Prize for Excellence in Economics. The prize honors Walter Adams, the Vernon F. Taylor Distinguished Professor of Economics at Trinity University in 1989 and 1992-98. It recognizes “a graduating economics major at Trinity who has achieved great distinction in scholarship and involvement in the life of the university community,” according to a congratulatory letter to Moss. As the winner of the award, Moss will receive a cash prize, an individual plaque and his name on a commemorative plaque that is displayed in the economics department. He will receive the prize at the spring honors convocation. Way to go, Kevin!
Yesterday, Austrian piano manufacturer Bösendorfer – maker of the piano that sits on the stage at the Rothschild Performing Arts Center – brought German pianist Jan Jiracek von Arnim to the Patil Theater to deliver a very special master class to Harker students. An award-winning performer and professor at the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Jiracek von Armin heard performances from Harker students Andrew Semenza, grade 12, and Jessica Jiang, grade 10. He discussed their interpretations of the pieces they played, offering advice on how to improve their respective techniques.
On Feb. 7, the new athletic center earned the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification! Harker’s Nichols Hall science and technology center already received LEED Gold Certification and the brand new Rothschild Performing Arts Center (RPAC), which just opened last Friday, is on track for certification. The athletic facility opened in August.
The LEED system, created and maintained by the U.S. Green Building Council, is administered by Green Certification Inc., The athletic center was awarded all 72 points applied for, including five out of five points for development density and community connectivity, six of of six points for alternative transportation—public transportation access, 19 out of 19 points for optimized energy performance and seven out of seven points for on-site renewable energy. The solar array on the roof of the athletic center will supply up to 25 percent of the energy needed for the two new buildings.
Many other features contributed to the rating including many materials, such as paints and coatings that emit minimal vapor when installed; building materials with recycled content; water use reduction; and water efficient landscaping.
Harker’s Nichols Hall, opened in 2007, was the first school building in Santa Clara County to receive a Gold rating from LEED. Read more, here.
Here are some of the other features that helped the athletic center achieve LEED Gold Certification.
White reflective paint on roof
Bioswales to filter runoff water
Photovoltaic cells (supplying 25 percent of the electricity needed for the athletic center and RPAC)
Plumbing fixtures are designed for 40 percent reduced water use from baseline
Dedicated parking for high-efficiency vehicles
Exterior lights with photometric layout to reduce light pollution
95 percent of construction debris diverted from landfill
No volatile organic compounds emissions from carpet or paint
No volatile organic compounds emissions from wood
Occupancy sensors on interior lighting
Glazing on windows that minimizes solar heat transfer
Last weekend, Harker’s upper school National Science Bowl team A qualified for the national finals after going undefeated in the regional competition at Stanford’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The team comprises seniors Swapnil Garg, Rajiv Movva, Derek Yen and Shaya Zarkesh, and sophomore Emily Liu, all coached by Gary Blickenstaff. This marks the second straight year Harker has qualified for the national finals.
Utilizing a game show format with a buzzer system, the National Science Bowl tests student knowledge on a variety of topics, including biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. The competition was established in 1991 by the United States Department of Energy with the goal of “making math and science fun for students to encourage them to pursue studies and careers in math and science,” according to the NSB website.
This year’s national finals are set to take place April 26-30 in Washington, D.C.
Update, Feb. 14: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s Michael Ross recently posted a recap of the Feb. 3 competition that includes more details about the event, such as the app created by a Stanford Online High School student that was of great use to competitors that weekend.
Last month’s Kicks Against Cancer soccer game raised $2,756 for Camp Okizu, a nonprofit organization that offers outdoor activities for children with cancer and their families. Harker’s annual soccer game, started in 2010 by members of the upper school girls varsity soccer team, raises funds by selling tickets, T-shirts, bracelets, baked goods and the chance to kick soccer balls at faculty members in the popular halftime game called “Butts Up.”
“I have been watching the upperclassmen run Kicks Against Cancer since I was a freshman,” said Krishna Bheda, grade 12, who led the effort this year. “I have appreciated how raising this money for Camp Okizu can really make a difference.”
Each year, the fundraiser is held around the start of the spring semester, and culminates with an evening series of games featuring Harker soccer teams. This year, the upper school girls faced off with Castilleja, and the varsity and junior varsity boys teams played against Menlo.
In the process of planning the event over the years, team members have met with families helped by Camp Okizu and representatives from the organization. “Because of this, it has become really near and dear to my heart,” Bheda said.
Planning for this year’s event started at the beginning of the soccer season. Bheda said her team of organizers – made up of seniors Adyant Kanakamedala, Meena Gudapati and Stephanie Scaglia and junior Julia Amick – helped make sure that the planning process went smoothly.
Several other student groups on campus also contributed to the fundraising mission. The Student Council set up a tailgate to sell food during the games, and the Spirit Club promoted the event on social media and during lunchtime on campus. Students also prepared baked goods to sell, and members of other soccer teams created posters and videos to raise further awareness. “It was a great bonding experience,” Bheda said.
This story originally appeared in the fall/winter 2017 issue of Harker Magazine.
Cindy Ellis has devoted 40 years to Harker, first as a math teacher, then department chair and middle school head. Ellis, who will be retiring at the end of this school year, will leave a lasting legacy of students, colleagues and parents who deeply appreciate her contributions. A native of Watsonville, she and her husband love road trips and the outdoors; they also enjoy their 105-pound mastiff, Roscoe (who’s “mostly drool”). She moves through her job with equal parts sangfroid and gratitude, and she shares some of her philosophy with Harker Magazine.
What is the one thing in the world you would fix if you could wave a magic wand? I would wish for people to be more empathetic and respectful to each other.
What one piece of advice would you offer anyone who asks? Always see yourself as part of the bigger picture. Your words and actions have an impact.
What is something you would happily fail at? I don’t believe in fail – I believe in resilience and moving on to the next idea. Experiences are not “good” or “bad,” they fine-tune our moral compass and deepen our understanding of the world and the people in it.
What is your most treasured memory? I spent a great deal of time with my great-grandmother as a child. She recounted so many stories about growing up in San Francisco in the late 19th century. The richness of that time with her is something I could never replace.
If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be? I have always wanted to be a great singer. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who can’t carry a tune in a bucket!
This story originally appeared in the fall/winter 2017 issue of Harker Magazine
Wisconsin native Chris Spenner never spent more than three years in one place as a kid, growing up in Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and North Carolina. But he’s put down roots at Harker, teaching upper school science and advising the Harker Research Club, Harker Horizon and the Open Lab program. Spenner is enthusiastic about lots of things: family (he’s married to former Harker teacher Erin Redfern), the outdoors and some interesting hobbies, which he shared with Harker Magazine.
What do you like to do when you have a block of free time? I enjoy hiking and exploring new places with my wife. When I have free time on my own, I go on road trips to play disc golf courses by day and do astrophotography at night.
Brag about something. [Harker colleague] Kate Schafer and I developed a Human Ecology class, which we taught for the first time last summer. It incorporates our ideal pedagogical visions, including interdisciplinary approaches to big, messy problems like climate change; the involvement of many non-teacher experts; storytelling; direct student experience through travel; and teachers learning alongside students. It went better than I had dared to hope, proving to be the most important and effective class I have ever taught.
For what in your life do you feel most grateful? I am most grateful for my immediate family: my parents, my brother and my wife. They are as much a part of me as any organ or belief. Everything that I consider to be good about myself, I can trace to them.
For what are you most proud of yourself? I have been commuting to school by bicycle for the past seven years, every day, rain or shine.
What is something interesting about you that almost no one knows? I am distantly related to Evel Knievel.
This story originally appeared in the fall/winter 2017 issue of Harker Magazine.
Jocelyn Poplack is no stranger to adventure. She uprooted five years ago when she moved from Texas to California to become a Harker Preschool lead teacher, she takes full advantage of the nature and culture of the Bay Area, and she loves escaping to wild places like Jackson, Wyo. Family is paramount, and she’s a proud aunt to a niece who lives in the Bay Area, and a nephew and niece in Texas. Spending quality time with them and enjoying her mom’s amazing home cooking in Houston are just two things that make her tick. Read on to learn a few more!
What makes you feel like a kid again? Reading children’s books! I love being able to share some of my favorite childhood books with my students and also being exposed to the newer children’s literature.
Brag about something. When I was 7 years old, I won the Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Derby for the biggest fluke caught that year.
What are you doing when you feel most alive? There is nothing that makes me feel more alive than being surrounded by the ocean. I love to snorkel, fish, sail and take boat rides!
What is your most treasured object and why? My family cookbook. When I was a child, I started writing down recipes that my mom, grandmothers and other family members used, as I wanted to be able to recreate the recipes myself and keep the family traditions alive. To this day, I am still adding recipes to the book!
What is the greatest accomplishment of your life? Honestly, I believe this hasn’t happened yet! I look at each day as another chance to accomplish more and more.
This story originally appeared in the fall/winter 2017 issue of Harker Magazine.
Jocelyn Poplack is no stranger to adventure. She uprooted five years ago when she moved from Texas to California to become a Harker Preschool lead teacher, she takes full advantage of the nature and culture of the Bay Area, and she loves escaping to wild places like Jackson, Wyo. Family is paramount, and she’s a proud aunt to a niece who lives in the Bay Area, and a nephew and niece in Texas. Spending quality time with them and enjoying her mom’s amazing home cooking in Houston are just two things that make her tick. Read on to learn a few more!
What makes you feel like a kid again? Reading children’s books! I love being able to share some of my favorite childhood books with my students and also being exposed to the newer children’s literature.
Brag about something. When I was 7 years old, I won the Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Derby for the biggest fluke caught that year.
What are you doing when you feel most alive? There is nothing that makes me feel more alive than being surrounded by the ocean. I love to snorkel, fish, sail and take boat rides!
What is your most treasured object and why? My family cookbook. When I was a child, I started writing down recipes that my mom, grandmothers and other family members used, as I wanted to be able to recreate the recipes myself and keep the family traditions alive. To this day, I am still adding recipes to the book!
What is the greatest accomplishment of your life? Honestly, I believe this hasn’t happened yet! I look at each day as another chance to accomplish more and more.